J&K’s Neetu Bali receives Emerging Women Entrepreneur award

Jammu, Mar 1: Jammu & Kashmir’s “first” women jewellery designer Neetu Bali received the “Emerging Women Entrepreneur” award instituted by India SME Forum in a special programme “Shakti National Convention 2023” held in New Delhi.
Narayan Rane, minister of MSME, GoI, Banu Pratap Singh Verma, Minister of State for the Ministry of MSME awarded this honour to Neetu Bali in presence of senior formations of India SME Forum, senior officers of the Ministry of MSME and MEA, Ms Laura Lane Vice President, UPS and hundreds of women entrepreneurs from all over the country.
Neetu Bali is the founder of jewellery brand “Sunder Gems & Jewels” a house of luxury, and also Sunder Enterprises. Though the designer has a legal background and was a female contractor for National Fertilizer Ltd besides having more than 20 years of experience in managing warehousing and logistics.
With just her passion, she took a leap of faith and started Sunder Gems & Jewels. She takes inspiration from nature, history, culture, and music and considers her mother as her idol.
Her designs are bold, experimental, distinctive, and expressive and aspire to empower the wearer to make a statement wherever they go. Her designs are nature-inspired and she promotes the skill of artisans of this region.
It is acclaimed to be the only jewellery brand in the country to create a new type of jewellery portraying and promoting the art of artisans of Jammu & Kashmir. Each piece is designed in-house and handcrafted using the finest metal alloys and precious stones.
Being an environmentalist, she sends across the message of environmental preservation through her jewellery designs. She is also working for the upliftment of artisans and patronising craftsmen and is promoting the dying art of “paper mache” through her jewellery and shawls.
Neetu is making all efforts to motivate society, particularly girls, to turn entrepreneurs and be self-employed. She always conveys that entrepreneurship is one of the most important avenues for women’s economic empowerment and equality, and it has the potential to have “multiplier effects” on family well-being, poverty reduction, and long-term economic progress. As a result, developing an enabling business ecosystem in which women are free to engage and fulfil their full potential can result in significant socioeconomic improvements.
During the media brief, she thanked the Ministry of MSE GoI and India SME GoJK for their support in boosting women entrepreneurship and working aggressively to identify various initiatives which can serve as a guide for achieving success in their business.