The northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya recognized a young Catholic woman and a pet groomer as one of the top 35 entrepreneurs.
Euphinia Nongbyrsaw won the award for making it to the top 35 of the 1800 entrepreneurs in the state.
She is the first in the state to offer pet grooming services and aesthetic care. She has been doing this for the last three years.
Euphinia is a textile designer by profession. She was also an animal activist working with an NGO, “The PAWS Shillong,” from 2018 to 2021.
"After observing individuals disregard their pets' hygiene, I began providing complimentary baths to dogs with skin infections and those in an extremely unsanitary state," she said.
“In short, it all started with my passion and love for animals,” she added.
It was a Chief Minister’s E-championship initiative to award entrepreneurs. Hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs applied for this challenge, but only 75 from Meghalaya made it to the nine-month program.
Conrad Kongkal Sangma, Meghalaya’s Chief Minister, gave away a citation and a cash prize to each winner in a ceremony in Shillong, the capital of the state, on March 25, 2025.
“And I was one of the top 35 entrepreneurs who was awarded with a cash prize of two hundred thousand Indian rupees (US$ 2337.56),” Euphinia said.
The remaining 40 entrepreneurs received a cash prize of one hundred thousand Indian rupees (US$ 1168.78).
“I feel deeply blessed and privileged to have the opportunity to showcase my talent and to have been selected among the 1850 entrepreneurs in the state,” she said. “I take pride in spearheading the pet grooming industry in Meghalaya.”
Euphinia hails from Christ King Church, Madanrting Parish, Shillong Archdiocese, Meghalaya state.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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