Smt. K.K. Shailaja Teacher, Hon'ble Minister for Health, Social Justice and Women & Child Development,

Shri K. Muraleedharan, Member of Legislative Assembly,

Shri Biju Prabhakar IAS, Special Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Women and Child,

Smt. Sheeba George IAS, Director, Directorate of Women and Child,

Smt. K.S. Saleekha, Ex-MLA, Chairperson, Kerala State Women's Development Corporation Ltd,

Smt. Bindhu V.C., Managing Director, Kerala State Women's Development Corporation Ltd,

Priyappetta Vanitha Samrambhakare,

Sahodaree Sahodaranmare,

Madhyama Suhruthukale

Ellaavarkkum Ente Namaskaaram.

       I am very happy to inaugurate ‘NAVAANGANA-2019,’ the Women Innovators' and Entrepreneurs' Meet organized by Kerala State Women's Development Corporation as part of the ‘Sadhairyam Munnottu’ program of the Department of Women and Child Development,Government of Kerala.

Let me begin by complimenting the Kerala State Women's Development Corporation for initiating this year's celebration of International Women's Day by organizing this Entrepreneurs Meet.  As a public sector unit under the Department of Women & Child Welfare, it has been efficiently promoting and implementing projects aimed at empowerment of women in the State.  It also merits mention that the theme for this year's International Women’s Day is Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change- a theme that echoes the need for equality.

The progress of women has been a central point in Kerala's transformation as an advanced society. It was education that facilitated the smooth progress of women from the kitchen to the centre-stage of life. It was the rise in women's literacy that quickened the State's progress as an advanced society. The saying that ‘when we educate a woman, we educate a whole family’, worked very well in Kerala.

But, in the modern world, equality in society is also decided by one's ability to be self reliant. Today, earning an income through a vocation or profession has become the norm for women. This has positively affected the familial conditions    in Kerala, as can be seen from the example of Kudumbasree, which has economically empowered women and through them, thousands of families.

Though respect for women has been the hall-mark of Indian culture, we still see a general reluctance to accept the empowered woman. We tend to see the empowered woman's expressions of freedom as unusual, be it in our work spaces, or in our media portrayals and even in our political and professional discussions. It is satisfying to note that most of the women professionals are overcoming such issues by perfecting their work and by ensuring their presence in areas which were once considered as male domains. Business is one such area and the entry of more women into business has strengthened society's faith in their entrepreneurial and innovative skills. In this context, today's meeting has great relevance.

As we all know, all over the world, Entrepreneurship has been   contributing to social and economic development.   Any enterprise, small, medium or large, can strengthen the economy though innovation, employment opportunities and livelihood enhancement. To make business opportunities accessible to all sections of people, there is a need to bridge the apparent gender divide in the innovation and entrepreneurship sector.

At present, all over the world, women are known to be under-represented in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, design, social innovation etc. It prevents them from developing and influencing gender-responsive innovations to achieve transformative gains for society. It is vital to recognize that women’s ideas and experiences equally influence the design and implementation of the innovations that shape our future societies.

Provision of equal opportunities in Entrepreneurship can be done only by providing an essential base for women’s empowerment. I understand that this meeting hopes to offer a unique opportunity to women innovators and entrepreneurs to showcase their innovative work in various walks of life. NAVAANGANA or the New Age Woman, aims to recognize women innovators who have become change makers and job creators. Such platforms for sharing of entrepreneurial experiences would also be an encouragement to future entrepreneurs. It is good that NAVAANGANA also intends to pave the way to spread the spirit of entrepreneurship among the girl students from women cells of various colleges of the State. The meet also facilitates an effective sharing of experiences so that the budding women entrepreneurs will learn the initial lessons of business.

Interactions like this are also a reflection of the success of the Start-up ecosystem that Kerala has developed over the last few years.  Many young innovators are coming forward to utilize this facility, but the number of women entering the Start up sector needs to improve.

I understand that we do not have special schemes as such for a drive to increase the number of Start-ups by women at present, but soon, we will be having Women oriented communities working towards encouraging Women start up ventures. I hope the students from women cells of various colleges, who are attending this meeting will make use of such facilities. They can learn about funding and marketing initiatives which are helpful in entrepreneurship.  Most importantly, they can identify the skills needed to manage a business and work towards perfecting one’s skills.

Along with such initiatives, we also need regular campaigns creating awareness about legal requirements and statutory provisions related to entrepreneurship, labour, taxes etc.  The women who set up businesses based on innovative ideas should also learn about patenting and related rules. Most importantly, our women and girls should start being vocal about their innovative ideas. If you have an idea, speak up; when you speak up, you will be heard. This is one platform to openly discuss your brilliant ideas and let them take shape as business ventures. This Meet, therefore, is an ideal way towards women empowerment.

I once again greet all the participants of this Meet and wish them success and the courage to handle initial setbacks, which are usual in any business.  But please remember that a setback is not a failure, but a learning experience. I also compliment the organizers for conducting this function in a befitting manner.

Ellavarkkum Ente Aashamsakal

Nanni

Jai Hind