Hyderabad, Apr 22 (KNN) Women entrepreneurship should be encouraged as only 8% of about 70,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Telangana are headed by women, said Principal Secretary of Industries & Commerce.

He was speaking at the ‘Women in the Forefront’, an event organized to promote entrepreneurship among SC/ST women as part of the 14th foundation day of Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI), Telangana Chapter.

Principal Secretary, Jayesh Ranjan said “Though women form 50% of the society, their presence in entrepreneurship was very little and it was even lower in case of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.”

He asked the women’s wing of DICCI to collaborate with WE-Hub, the first-of-its-kind and the only State-run platform for women entrepreneurs.

“Empowering women is not just a moral responsibility, but is the need of the hour. The WE Hub’s vision is to empower women and impart necessary skills to help them become independent,” he added.

Addressing the gathering, National Working President of DICCI, Narra Ravi Kumar said successful SC/ST entrepreneurs were not the products of government welfare schemes.

“We have all the capabilities to be job-givers and tax-payers,” Kumar said citing several examples of successful SC/ST women entrepreneurs.