Army inaugurates Cosmetics Centre in Manipur’s Bishnupur

Imphal: In its continuous commitment towards Women and community empowerment, the Indian Army, in collaboration with Aseem Foundation (a Pune-based NGO focused on education, entrepreneurship, and development), established and dedicated a Cosmetic Centre at Phubala village in the Bishnupur district of Manipur under Operation Sadbhavana on 26 February 2024. This cosmetic centre aims to foster skill development and self-empowerment among local women, providing them with valuable resources to enhance their livelihoods. 

The project was inaugurated by the Lieutenant General Abhijit S Pendharkar, AVSM, YSM, General Officer Commanding, Spear Corps, with distinguished guests in attendance, including GOC, Red Shield Division, representatives from Aseem Foundation, Senior Indian Army officers, Civil administration, Village Pradhans, prominent veterans from the area and locals. The community leaders and womenfolk expressed their gratitude for the Army’s sustained efforts to uplift local communities, particularly women. The village pradhan, N Ranjit Singh also expressed his gratitude and thanked the Indian Army and ASEEM foundation for reaching out and providing this facility on behalf of all the womenfolk as this will help the women to indulge in new professional avenues and gain new skills while earning a livelihood for their families. 

The facility is equipped with necessary equipment, raw material, and other ingredients to fully support the start-up. This venture initially will train 20 women from the local area & empower them with skill-building opportunities and income-generating activities. These women will be provisioned with tools of empowerment & dedicated training by the instructor & the much-needed market access to sell products from ASEEM Foundation. 

After the inauguration, the GOC, Spear Corps also visited the Yarn Bank at Toronglaobi in Bishnupur which was established as a joint venture by Indian Army and ASEEM foundation on 30 October 2024. The venture has been providing livelihood to women of Toronglaobi village and the products are already being dispatched across other states.

The Cosmetic Centre exemplifies the Indian Army’s dedication to creating sustainable employment and supporting women empowerment in the region. Through projects like these, the Army continues to provide necessary skills and knowledge to enable them to participate and contribute to their economic independence and social status, thus empowering the local women to become economic drivers of the society.