A total of 188 entrepreneurs have registered for the first expo to build entrepreneurship among tribals and Adi Dravidars, which the the State government and the Tamilnadu Adi Dravidar Housing Development Corporation (TAHDCO) will organise in the city on January 26 and 27. Among those registered as exhibitors at the expo, 186 are from Tamil Nadu and one each from Manipur and Telangana.
TAHDCO Managing Director K.S. Kandasamy said there was a very good response from entrepreneurs for the first expo. More than 1,500 enquiries had been made so far.
Eminent speakers are expected to participate in the conclave with six sessions. “This is the first expo for SC/ST entrepreneurs. The event will also be a platform to discuss issues pertaining to the 4% reservation for SC/ST entrepreneurs in tender volume as per the procurement policy. Many public sector undertakings were reportedly unable to match this procurement policy. They claim that SC/ST entrepreneurs were not coming forward. We have suggested creating a separate package for SC/ST entrepreneurs,” he said.
The expo will be held at the Chennai Trade Centre to enable and enhance SC/ST industrial, economic, and business growth. The expo is expected to provide effective business incubation services, which include technical and operational support, product development capacity building, quality processes, advisory, and mentoring and monitoring.
The event is expected to bring about higher values to the SC/ST business owners of the State with wider networking opportunities among stakeholders, both within the region and across the country. The expo will serve as a platform for competitive participation for the start-up and student community in showcasing new products and service ideas required for industry development across the State.
Among those that have registered online, 13 entrepreneurs are from agriculture sector, 28 from the agro food processing industry, six from the automobile industry, 12 from the bakery, dairy, and food products industry, five from education sector, three from the fast-moving consumer goods industry, 24 from handicrafts, two from heavy engineering, 43 from Indian market, three from the information technology sector, eight from textiles, and 19 from the service sector.
