The Department of Social Welfare and the Department of Scheduled Tribes Welfare, Government of Karnataka (GoK), in association with Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, has launched a training program to support SC/ST women graduates in developing their skills as entrepreneurs.
The program was launched at IIM Bangalore in the presence of IIM-B Director Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan; Shri Kota Srinivas Poojary, Minister for Social Welfare and Backward Classes; Capt. P. Manivannan (IAS), Secretary to the Govt of Karnataka; Dr. E. Venkataiah (IAS-Rtd.), Advisor, SCSP/TSP Nodal Agency, Social Welfare Department; Dr. Ganesh Prabhu, Professor of Strategy and Program Director, IIM-B; Prof. G Shainesh, Chairperson, Executive Education Programmes, IIM-B; faculty of IIM-B and senior members of the Executive Education Programmes Office at IIM Bangalore.
An MoU to this effect was exchanged between Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, and Minister Shri Kota Shrinivas Poojary after which Prof. G Shainesh presented an overview of the Executive Education Programmes at IIM Bangalore.
In his message, which was read out by Rakesh Kumar, Commissioner of the Department of Social Welfare, GoK, the Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said: “Every woman in the state should be economically empowered. Our aim is to encourage women from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and vulnerable groups to participate in economic activity and growth. Accordingly, in the budget of 2022-23, we made provision for a program that will help 300 women graduates from these sections to avail of entrepreneurship training at IIM Bangalore.”
Adding that it was a pleasure to partner with the prestigious Indian Institute of Management Bangalore for the Entrepreneurship Training Program, Bommai said the premier institute would ensure that the participants receive excellent training and mentoring. “I encourage all the participants here to take advantage of this program, build capacity and become successful entrepreneurs. You should not only become self-sufficient, but also inspire others to take up entrepreneurship,” he said.
Welcoming participants to the program, IIM-B Director Professor Rishikesha T Krishnan, described the Institute’s long and deep engagement with delivering Entrepreneurial Learning programs be it the Goldman Sachs 10K Program, the Women Start-up Program supported by Kotak Bank, the program designed for the National Commission for Women, and more. He urged the participants of the GoK program to be diligent students and avail of all the opportunities, from networking to peer learning, while at IIM Bangalore.
The program, delivered under the umbrella of IIM-B’s Executive Education Programs, enables aspiring women entrepreneurs to take their idea and transform it into a business venture. It provides an opportunity for personal and professional development focusing on acquisition of management practices, navigation of growth opportunities, development of effective leadership skills and support through formal mentoring on the business idea and peer networking.