THOOTHUKUDI: In view of empowering widows and destitute people, the district administration has rolled out a sustainable skill development programme for improving their standard of living and their financial status. At the end of the skill training programme, the beneficiaries will receive a bank linkage and a loan with a subsidy for self-employment, either individually or collectively as a group, said District Collector Dr K Senthil Raj.
NABARD has sanctioned around Rs 14.89 lakh in connection with the sustainable skill development programme to conduct six batches of 25 trainees, with each trainee offered a stipend of Rs 2,000 and training materials.
A private NGO "Anbin oli Shailoh Mission" will jointly work with NABARD and Thoothukudi district administration to provide training on aari embroidery work, computerised accounting tally, food processing and mushroom cultivation for as many as 150 widows from April 5 to May 24 at six venues, including Thoothukudi, Kayalpattinam, Kovilpatti, Kayathar, Tiruchendur and Sathankulam blocks in the district.
Collector Dr K Senthil Raj said that the main objective of the programme is to guide widows towards attaining financial self-sustenance in this competitive world and overcoming the challenges they face in society, especially economic vulnerability and poverty. "We have invited various corporate companies to join this program and provide possible job opportunities for the trainees," he added.
The collector added that the district administration devised the plan after they received numerous petitions from the widows and destitute people seeking jobs and better livelihood during Monday's weekly grievance redressal programme. "Besides options like self-help groups (SHGs) and job melas, we thought of providing them specific skill training and bank linkage for self-employment in order to ensure them a permanent livelihood," he added.
Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi inaugurated the programme at the community hall in Kayalpattinam in the presence of Dr Senthil Raj, project officer Dr Takkare Subam Ganandev Rao, Dr VR Veerapathiran, Tamil Nadu State Rural Livelihood Mission, Nabard Assistant General Manager RK Suresh Ramalingam.