Today, GAIL (India) Limited inaugurated an incubation cell, the first of its type in the industry, to educate wives of its employees about the start-up environment and give them with mentorship, training, and the required tools to build their own businesses.
The initiative, named “GAIL Abha,” was launched today, March 8, one day before International Women’s Day, by Shakun Gupta, the first lady of GAIL, and Sandeep Kumar Gupta, the chairman and managing director of GAIL, in the presence of R K Jain, the director of finance, Deepak Gupta, the director of projects, Ayush Gupta, the director of human resources, and their spouses.
Employees of GAIL tend to be highly qualified, and their partners tend to be so as well. GAIL townships are typically located in outlying areas, limiting the opportunities for outstanding individuals to showcase their skills and find fulfilling work. It is hoped that by meeting this demand, “GAIL Abha” will also give spouses of workers a chance to do meaningful work that benefits both the economy and society.
Speaker Sandeep Kumar Gupta remarked, “This platform would allow the spouses of our employees to realise their potential and capabilities and satisfy their goals of being engaged in some professional or entrepreneurial enterprise.”
Director of Human Resources Ayush Gupta announced, “GAIL has established its unique Incubation Programme — a five-layered programme spanned over 30 weeks with the purpose to turn their ideas into blooming enterprises.”
The first few weeks will be dedicated to seminars and bootcamps that enable participants to develop concepts and assess the value proposition they present to potential investors. After the finest ideas have been presented and narrowed down, they will undergo a rigorous 21-week process of growing the idea into a business. Mentoring and assistance with seed finance, company registration, and facilitations like the Startup India Seed Fund will be provided during regular biweekly sessions throughout this time.
