APPRECIATING TALENT: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy taking a look at paintings at an exhibition during the inauguration of the 4th State-level women entrepreneurs' conference organised by AWAKE in Bangalore on Monday. — Photo: K. Murali Kumar

BANGALORE: To help women entrepreneurs market their products better, the State Government will soon construct a modern convention centre-cum-shopping complex in the city.

Announcing this at the inauguration of the fourth State-level conference of women entrepreneurs organised by Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka (AWAKE) here on Monday, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said the centre would facilitate marketing of products manufactured by women entrepreneurs under one roof.

To ensure that women in rural areas took up entrepreneurship, the Government would set up training centres for women in district headquarters. Adequate funds would be earmarked for this purpose in the next budget, Mr. Kumaraswamy said.

Admitting that the "Stree Shakti" scheme chalked out for making rural women economically independent had some lacunae, the Chief Minister said: "We have realised that this scheme needs to be improved. We are working on making the subsidy component more beneficial to women."

Mr. Kumaraswamy asked women entrepreneurs to discuss their problems and draft a proposal on their immediate requirements. Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries Katta Subramanya Naidu said AWAKE should tie up with private companies and organise training for women in entrepreneurship development. "There is a shortage of skilled manpower these days. Women entrepreneurs should work in creating more technical hands," he said.

Reiterating that the Government was committed to creating a market demand for products manufactured by women, Mr. Naidu said that the Government was thinking of increasing the subsidy amount for women entrepreneurs. Responding to a request made by AWAKE members, the Government had allotted a five-acre land to the organisation to set up a training centre, he said. "The Government is in the process of allotting buildings for market complexes in 10 districts for women entrepreneurs.

Discussions in this regard are on between the Chief Minister and the officials of the Finance Department," he said.

Earlier, a handbook on women entrepreneurs and their products was released. Former Ministers Motamma and Rani Satish, AWAKE president Sudha Prakash and former president Padma Sheshadri spoke.

Exhibition

Over 200 women entrepreneurs from all over the State displayed their wares at an exhibition organised by AWAKE to mark the occasion. Household products, embroidered dress materials, saris, herbal products, dry fruits, ready-to-eat food items, fried stuff and many more products are on display at the two-day exhibition being held at the Bunts Sangha in Vijayanagar.

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