An e-commerce platform – Kotravai – has been created to enable rural women in Tenkasi district to sell their products and creations virtually from the comfort of their homes.
Beedi making is the main occupation for women in the district. Considering the health consequences of the occupation, Zoho has created the ‘Kotravai’ online platform to enable women to find alternative sources of income. The platform was launched by Zoho’s head Sridhar Vembu.
The platform is open not just to women who were working at beedi factories, but also to mothers, women self-help groups, and self-employed women. The platform offers free service to sell the products like small gifts, cooking products, household appliances, and beauty products, made by rural women across the globe.
Sridhar Vembu has sown the first seed in Tenkasi district by creating a free e-commerce platform that will create more women entrepreneurs, thereby improving their financial stability. Similar assistance could be provided to women in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts, who have also been working in beedi industries.
Though the project is aimed on supporting rural women in Tenkasi, similar projects can be implemented in all the districts, benefitting women. Industries and companies in each district can come forward with such initiatives.
The state government, which has been supporting and empowering women in various ways, should encourage such initiatives by offering a helping hand.
Congratulations to Sridhar Vembu for creating more women entrepreneurs.