Chennai | Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, who launched the TN RISE - Women Start Up Council here on Tuesday said the initiative will help liberate women economically and culturally.
The main focus of TN RISE, the special platform of the Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women, is to bring more women entrepreneurship from the rural areas of the state, he said.
"This reflects the progressive tradition of our Dravidian movement, which is represented in the current government of Tamil Nadu. We refer to it as the Dravidian model government," Udhayanidhi Stalin said at the event.
He claimed that women were enslaved in two domains - economic and culture. Organisations like the World Bank were extending financial assistance to liberate women economically.
"Likewise, our Dravidian movement strives hard to liberate women from enslavement in the cultural domain. Now, our Dravidian Model government is proud to join hands with the World Bank in empowering women in the economic domain as well," the Minister said.
He said women entrepreneurs faced numerous challenges in advancing their business ideas, as well as in accessing finance, credit, and marketing opportunities. The TN RISE was aimed to eliminate such obstacles by offering customised market linkages, financing, and operational advice.
Also, it will provide high-end business incubation services to women-led rural enterprises, he said and added "I am proud to say that TN-RISE has signed MoUs with various multinational companies like Flipkart and HP to provide guidance and training for our budding women entrepreneurs."
Udhayanidhi invited industries and entrepreneurs to join hands with the state government to create more women entrepreneurs from Tamil Nadu.
The state government had announced in the Budget in March last year to establish an exclusive Women Start Up Council. Accordingly it was launched today.
Earlier, the Minister unveiled the logo and website of TN RISE in the presence of Additional Chief Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, Gagandeep Singh Bedi and other officials.