Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes, K. Radhakrishnan has said it is the responsibility of the society to provide social capital to entrepreneurs from SC/ST communities to help them become job providers and build sustainable enterprises.
By changing its perspectives, society needed to lend a helping hand to them to overcome the challenges, Mr. Radhakrishnan said on Wednesday while inaugurating the Startup City Entrepreneurial Orientation Programme at Technopark here.
Jointly launched by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and the State government’s empowerment initiative ‘Unnathi’, the Startup City project aims to support entrepreneurs and innovators from SC/ST communities.
The project is primarily meant to support entrepreneurs and innovators from SC/ST communities to set up or expand their enterprises. It offers opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs, with support and facilities from the State government.
“The Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission targets around 20 lakh jobs by 2026 and two lakh people will be selected from SC/STs communities. More than 86,000 SC students and 7,000 ST students have already registered with it and their training programme will start soon,” he said.
Unnathi CEO Prasanth Nair said the first batch of Startup City project represented diversified sectors, such as Internet of Things (IoT), defence, airspace, hospitality, manufacturing, and Small and Medium Enterprises. KSUM CEO Anoop Ambika said entrepreneurs and start-ups would get the necessary guidelines for marketing and generating capital to take forward their enterprises in a sustainable manner.
Under Startup City project, the selected entrepreneurs will receive financial assistance, expert mentorship, business establishment, and development assistance. It will provide incubation facilities and support for entrepreneurial ventures promoted by entrepreneurs from SC/ST in multiple sectors.
