Padmashree Awardee Moirangthem Muktamani Devi :: Profile

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Padmashree Awardee Moirangthem Muktamani Devi

Name: Moirangthem Muktamani Devi
Husband's Name: Kshtrimayum Naran Singh
Date of Birth: 15th December, 1960
Address: Kakching Moirangthem Leikai,
P.O. and P.S. Kakching,
Kakching District, Manipur.
Occupation/Profession: Shoe Knitting.
Qualification: P.U.C (arts) Manipur University

Moirangthem Muktamani Devi is the founder and proprietor of Mukta Shoes Pvt. Ltd. Kakching, Manipur. She is widely known for her woolen knitted shoes. She has employed many people in her shoe industry and has been promoting this craft by imparting training to the youth of India. So far, she has trained more than 2000 men and women.

Born on 15th December, 1960 Muktamani, daughter of a farmer studied up to class XII. Necessity was definitely the mother of innovation and invention as far as she was concerned. 30 years ago, when her daughter's school shoes were torn, she could not afford to buy a pair of new shoes. She knitted her daughter's torn shoes with old woolen threads. Her daughter happily wore the knitted shoes and went to school.

After seeing the new type of shoes, teachers of the school started placing orders. It was then that she struck upon the idea of knitting woolen shoes with woolen threads and hard soles. Today she is the proprietor of Mukta Shoes Private Limited.

Muktamani who had started the entrepreneurship of making and selling knitted woolen shoes from 1991, founded the Mukta Shoes Pvt. Ltd in 1993. She has exported her knitted shoes to many foreign countries like Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, Japan and Dubai. She received orders from countries like UK, France and Mexico etc.

Muktamani has imparted training to many men and women under Entrepreneurship Development Programme (1993) organized by North Eastern Industry Consultants Ltd Imphal;
Training Programme of Business & Export Management (2002);
Short Term Technical training in Knitted Footwear Fabrication at Central Leather Research Institute Chennai (2001-2002);
Entrpreneurship Development and Ethnic Design in Leather sector at Imphal (2002);
Entrepreneurship Skill Development Programme of Woolen shoe making organized by MSME 2009;
6 month Skill Upgradation Training Programme on shoe making, Manipur 2009;
Enterprise Development training Programme for Winner of the Citi Micro Entrepreneur Awards
organized at EDI Campus Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad
by Citi Micro Entrepreneur.

Muktamani is the recipient of several awards and honours like
True Legends awards in 2018 by National Insurance and Telegraph;
Vasundhara award for North East Women Entrepreneurs (2013-14);
Vasundhara Award for Manipur Women Entrepreneurship (2013-14);
National Award Micro Small & Medium Enterprises (2008);
Citi Group Micro Entrepreneurs National Award 2006;
Master Craftsperson Award of the year 2008-2009 and 1996
by Directorate of Commerce and Industries, Government of Manipur, etc.

Padmashree Awardee Moirangthem Muktamani Devi

Exhibitions:

i) Industrial Exhibitions 1991 and 1992 at Imphal organized by Directorate of Commerce and Industries, Government of Manipur

ii) Handloom and Handicrafts Exhibitions (Nov 2 to 7, 1992) at Imphal

iii) Manipur Tourism Festival 1992

iv) Industrial Exhibition at Imphal, 1st Prize (1993)

v) Mobile Art Exhibition (May 27-31, 1994) at Kakching organized by Manipur State Kala Akademi

vi) Handicrafts Exhibition cum Sale 1996 (Imphal 25-26 December, 1996) sponsored by DC (Handicrafts) Government of India

vii) Khadi and Village Industries Exhibition 1997 at Imphal

viii) India International Trade Fair 1997 (November 14-27) government order for knitted Woolen Shoe from Australia

ix) Craft Bazar 1999

x) Uttar Purba Khadi Gram udyog Darshan and Mela at Delhi (March 1-15, 2004) organized by KVIC New Delhi

xi) Techmart India 2005 (13th International Technology Fair) Delhi under the aegis of National Small Industries Corporation, New Delhi

xii) District Level REGP Exhibition (24-28 February, 2008) at Kakching organized by KVIC.

xiii) State Level Vendor Development Programme cum Industrial Exhibition at SISIU Imphal (March 15-16, 2007).

xiv) National Level Exhibition during WIGC Craft Bazar 2009 organised from 20 to 29 March 2009

xv) India International Expo at Guwahati (January 2015)

xvi) India International Expo at Shillong (March 2015)

Awards and Recognitions:

i) State Award to Master Craftsmen (Consolation Prize) from the Directorate Of Commerce and Industries, Government of Manipur for the year 1996.

ii) Citi Group Micro Entrepreneurs National Award 2006

iii) National Award (2008) Micro Small & Medium Enterprises.

iv) State Award to Master Craftsmen from the Directorate Of Commerce and Industries, Government of Manipur for the year 2008-2009.

v) Award for the state of Manipur, Vasundhara NE Women Entrepreneurs of the year 2013-14

vi) Vasundhara award for North East Women Entrepreneurs (2013-14)

vii) True Legends awards in 2018 by National Insurance and Telegraph

Muktamani was awarded Padma Shri in recognition of her work for woolen knitted shoes.