Southern States
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Tamil Nadu-Chennai
Slum clearance board launches EDP in city
By Our Staff Reporter
CHENNAI, DEC. 5. The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board today launched its component of the Entrepreneurial Development Programme for women in a near-interactive function involving the beneficiaries.
The EDP is a Tamil Nadu Women's Development Corporation venture for training five lakh women in entrepreneurial skills over five years.
The training is distributed among eight Government departments, including the TNSCB, which has been sanctioned Rs.50 lakh for training 10,000 women in Chennai during 2001-2002.
A number of beneficiaries selected by the TNSCB were present at the function where Government officials and trainers explained the significance of the programme.
``Women have been trained in vocational skills but do not know how to utilise them effectively,'' said Ms. Qudsia Gandhi, Chairman and Managing Director, TNWDC. ``The EDP will teach you business aspects like registering for and obtaining licences and loans, procuring raw materials and marketing finished products.''
She stressed that women's training should stop focusing on the three Ps _ papad, pickle and petticoats. ``You should come forward to explore new avenues such as tourism and even computer-based ventures,'' she said.
The EDP will free women from the shackles of dependence so they can sustain themselves. ``To be able to earn for yourselves and be able to give to others is an unique experience,'' Ms. Gandhi said.
The EDP includes a post-training component comprising credit linkage and marketing aid to support the beneficiaries in their ventures.
The TNSCB training component of 10,000 women during 2001-2002 will commence this month and completed by March. The board has already identified 6,500 beneficiaries through a selection committee comprising NGOs, bank and TNSCB officials.
The women will be trained in batches of 30 during week-long programmes. About 60 members of NGOs and community-based organisations have been trained as teachers for the purpose.
Speaking on the occasion, the TNSCB chairman, Mr. N. Balaganga, said, ``The board already imparts vocational training for women in courses like driving, tailoring, nursing and other in-demand skills. With this programme, women will not only learn a skill but also achieve a confidence that will improve their livelihood.''
``The slum clearance board will not stop with mere construction of buildings but will also focus on community development programmes,'' said Mr. M. Rajaram, Managing Director, TNSCB.
Ms. Sheela Balakrishnan, Secretary, Social Welfare, Mr. J. Buvaneshwaran, Chief Engineer, TNSCB, and Mr. P. Shanmugham, Chief Community Development Officer, TNSCB, participated.
Earlier in the day, the TNSCB organised a Children's Day celebration for its transit school students, where Mr. Balaganga listed the community-based achievements and ventures of the board.
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