Addressing a press conference in Nigdi on Tuesday, Mahasangh president Swati Mujumdar, secretary Chanda Bhande and treasurer Nayana Parkhe said their months of planning has finally yielded fruit as the industrial unit will get started from Thursday. “All the women members are very excited and we are ready to prove our mettle,” they said. Pimpri-Chinchwad Mahila Mandal Mahasangh president Sulbha Ubale was also present. Among others, mayor Aparna Doke, deputy mayor Sharad Borhade, MP Gajanan Babar, municipal commissioner Asheesh Sharma, standing committee chairman Dnyaneshwar Bhalerao, MLC Neelam Gorhe and Arvind Sawant will also be present on the ocassion.

The Swamini self-help group has procured a loan of Rs 50 lakh from the Bank of Baroda while they have themselves invested Rs 20 lakh. The rest Rs 30 lakh has come from the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, which has been encouraging women self-help groups to become entreprenuers. After the Mahasangh submits its project report to the PCMC and once it is approved, the civic body helps the women to get loans from banks. The PCMC has made a provision of financial assistance to women setting up industrial unit.

“In the beginning, we will produce polythene bags for sugar and cement. They will be supplied to Sumedh Polymers, a Pune-based firm,” the women office-bearers said. “Our produce will also be exported to Dubai,” they said. Ubale said the objective behind setting up of the unit was not to earn profit, but to make employment for women. The polythene bag producing industrial unit has been set up on Dehu-Alandi Road in Talawade. The Swamini Mahasangh came into existence after as many as eleven self-help groups came together. The Mahasangh has 156 members.

“Yes, this is the first of its kind project in Pune,” said PCMC assistant municipal commissioner Sudhir Joshi who was earlier heading the women and child welfare department. It was because Joshi's initiative the scheme was launched by the PCMC.