New Delhi: The Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, in collaboration with the National Institute of Entrepreneurship & Small Business Development (NIESBUD), has successfully completed the second batch of an entrepreneurship development training programme aimed at transgender entrepreneurs, with 25 transgender persons receiving structured entrepreneurial training.
The valedictory function for the second batch was held at the Conference Room of the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi.
The programme was sponsored by the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment and organised by NIESBUD, an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Skill and Entrepreneurship Development.
The valedictory function was chaired by Sudhansh Pant, Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, and co-chaired by Monali P Dhakate, Joint Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, along with Dr Poonam Sinha, Director General, National Institute of Entrepreneurship & Small Business Development.
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Abhina Aher, CEO of Tweet Foundation – the community-based organisation that mobilised transgender entrepreneurs for this batch – was also present.
Training Outcomes for Transgender Entrepreneurs Highlighted at Valedictory
Brijesh Kumar, Joint Director, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, briefed attendees on the training conducted by NIESBUD. Participants including Manvi, Ziyah Khan, Aryan, Rahat Singh, and Katha shared their feedback during the session.
They expressed strong interest in pursuing entrepreneurship as a career path, highlighting their aspiration to become job providers rather than job seekers.
Transgender entrepreneurs appreciated the post-training handholding component of the programme. Several trainees are already engaged in small-scale businesses such as bakery ventures and artificial jewellery manufacturing and plan to scale their enterprises using the skills acquired during the training.
Abhina Aher acknowledged the collaborative efforts of NIESBUD and the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment and suggested that similar entrepreneurship programmes for transgender persons be replicated through convergence with welfare schemes of other ministries and departments.
Government Emphasises Nationwide Expansion for Transgender Entrepreneurs
Addressing the gathering, Sudhansh Pant underscored entrepreneurship as a viable career option and highlighted the Government of India’s initiatives aimed at mainstreaming and improving the socio-economic status of transgender persons.
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He described the training programme as a small yet significant step toward economic empowerment and stressed the need to organise such initiatives across the country.
He further recommended that NIESBUD maintain a database of trained transgender candidates and conduct regular tracking of their career progression, whether in employment or self-employment.
The next batch of entrepreneurship development training for transgender persons has been planned in Mumbai. The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr Shivani Dey, Director, NIESBUD.
Officials from the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, NIESBUD, and Tweet Foundation were present at the event.
