Thiruvananthapuram: Just over a month after its launch, Kerala's ambitious women-centric social enterprise project "Sandesh One" has kicked off with thousands of aspiring women entrepreneurs keen to join the programme.
The response has been the strongest in Kottayam district where more than 200 people called on a single day this week, asking for information and details about the project, official sources said.
"We have had considerable interest in the project from northern districts of Kozhikode and Kannur as well and hope that the application and processing will be completed soon to move on to the next stage," MK Muneer, Minister for Panchayats and Social Justice, said in Thiruvananthapuram.
Initiated by the Kerala State Women's Development(KSWD) Corporation, Sandesh One is a public-private partnership venture.
As part of the initiative, a network of women entrepreneurs will be trained to run micro units that will offer solutions in areas such as precision farming, advanced fish breeding, high density plantation, renewable energy, preventive health care applications, clinics, water management, waste management, afforestation and steam cooking.
One woman from each of more than 1,000 panchayats in Kerala will be selected to undergo a certification programme in entrepreneurship, developed by IIM Ahmedabad in association with IL&FS Skill Development Corporation, one of the largest skill development companies in India.
The six-month-long residential training programme will focus on developing and improving entrepreneurial skills and knowledge management, KSWDC sources said.
Individuals will additionally go through a product orientation programme to get familiarised with the products and services offered by the Sandesh One network.
'Sandesh One' entrepreneurs will receive support from KSWDC which will facilitate loans, tie-ups with other stakeholders and provide promotional support, they said.
Sandesh Centres will promote environment friendly projects, products and solutions to reach the grassroots level, said PTM Sunish, Managing Director, KSWDC.
They will help citizens access innovations capable of contributing to the socio-economic development of the state, he added.