THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Society should be responsible for providing social capital to entrepreneurs from the SC/ST communities to help them become job providers and build sustainable enterprises, said Minister for SC/ST Welfare K Radhakrishnan.
He was speaking after inaugurating the Startup City Entrepreneurial Orientation Programme at Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
Jointly launched by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and the state government’s empowerment initiative Unnathi, the startup city project aims to support entrepreneurs and innovates from the SC and ST communities.
Unnathi CEO Prasanth Nair presided over the event, and KSUM CEO Anoop Ambika welcomed the gathering. The project is primarily meant to support entrepreneurs and innovators from the SC/ST communities to set up or expand their enterprises. It opens aspiring entrepreneurs to a wide range of opportunities with support from the state government.
While stressing upon entrepreneurs and startups to explore new possibilities, Radhakrishnan said their projects must aim to become self-sufficient and job providers. The Kerala Empowerment Society was formed to overcome the challenges of the new age and create more jobs and income for educated youths, the minister said, adding that its partnership with KSUM and the Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission was in that direction.
He said the government was able to send around 425 students to foreign universities between May 20, 2021 and March 31, 2023. Of them, 344 were from the SC, 24 from the STs, and 57 from other backward communities. “In January 2024, around 310 students from these communities will go abroad for their studies,” the minister added.