Date:19/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/19/stories/2006051915460100.htm

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Association of women entrepreneurs launched

Staff Reporter

Aimed at facilitating better credit flow from commercial banks

TIRUCHI: The Centre for Women's Studies (CWS), Bharathidasan University, in association with the Tiruchi District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association (TIDISSIA), has launched an association of women entrepreneurs for extending support services to their ventures.

About 100 women entrepreneurs in the region have been brought under the network of Tiruchi Women Micro Enterprises Association (TWMEA). The initiative was aimed at facilitating better credit flow to entrepreneurs from commercial banks.

The association has a mixed membership of less and highly educated, technical and non-technical, skilled and unskilled, production and service entrepreneurs. Its members, according to N. Manimekalai, Director, CWS, will be exposed to schemes and facilities available in various departments.

The CWS has registered the TWMEA under the Society's Registration Act.

After formal inauguration of the TWMEA in the first week of June, 2006, the TIDISSIA will facilitate the women entrepreneurs to hold periodic meetings and provide logistic support right from identification of a project to get training in marketing under Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development project sanctioned to it by the Department of Science and Technology. The activities of the TWMEA began at a recent informal meeting with the CWS recommending to school managements to patronise the association in their respective areas by booking orders for stitching uniforms and supplying leather school bags and notebooks. About 50 women entrepreneurs engaged in various production and service activities including food processing, readymade garments manufacture, tailoring, manufacture of herbal products, toys, paper, and paper-based products gained insights into entrepreneurial ventures during their interaction with vice-president of TIDISSIA Kanagasabapathi.

Mr. Kanagasabapathi committed the TIDISSIA's support to the women entrepreneurs engaged in tailoring by linking them with industries involved in garment export. The women would be trained and facilitated to work from their homes.

The TIDISSIA has planned to hold a meeting at St. Paul's Complex, Cantonment, Tiruchi, on May 22 to explain various avenues available for the entrepreneurs. New members will be admitted to the TWMEA.

More details can be had by dialling 0431-2407028 / 2418711.