Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan on Saturday inaugurated ‘Thozhilanangu,’ an initiative of Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission (TANSIM), which is aimed at promoting mass entrepreneurship among women, particularly from the economically weaker sections of society in the non-metros of the State.
TANSIM was working on ‘Thozhilanangu’ in a systematic manner by connecting the startup ecosystem pioneers, entrepreneurs and companies to elevate the self-help groups into ‘smart self-help groups,’ micro enterprises and startups in a phased manner. The objective of the initiative is to create a hub-and-spoke model, according to a press release.
The Finance Minister said that since the inception of ‘Dravida Iyakkam,’ importance is being given to women empowerment. Realising the important role played by women in society, various schemes have been rolled out by the government for their empowerment. The pilot project was being launched in Madurai and the same would be replicated in other cities.
At the day-long event, letters of intent were given to 10 companies. The startups and companies expressed their willingness to engage the self-help groups for production of idli batter, stitching yellow bags, mushroom cultivation, paneer production, cold pressed oil and also production of masalas, papad and incense sticks.
More than 600 women self-help group members participated in the programme. TANSIM CEO Sivarajah Ramanathan welcomed the gathering and presented an overview of the project. Chief Operating Officer (Project Implementation) N. Aruljothiarasan spoke on the project implementation.
Collector S. Aneesh Sekhar, Corporation Commissioner Simranjeet Singh Kahlon, Mayor Indrani Ponvasanth, former Chairman of CII Madurai Zone Sathish Devadoss and Chairperson of TiE Women Kanika Radhakarishnan spoke at the event. Following the inauguration, an interactive session was held with the participants.
