Government of Tamil Nadu has launched the Women Employment and Safety (WESAFE) Programme, with the backing of a $150 million loan from the World Bank.
The programme is designed to train over 600,000 women, support 18,000 women entrepreneurs, and improve access to safe workplaces, housing, and transport—all critical enablers for increasing female participation in the workforce.
The WESAFE initiative is a cornerstone of Tamil Nadu’s broader ambition to become a $1 trillion economy by 2030, by unlocking the untapped potential of its women workforce.
WESAFE Programme Scope: Training, Entrepreneurship, and Enabling Infrastructure
The WESAFE Programme targets 1.6 million women across the state, with a multi-pronged approach:
- Skill Development: Over 6 lakh women will receive career-oriented training and employment support to transition into higher-quality, non-farm sector jobs.
- Entrepreneurship Support: 18,000 women entrepreneurs will be provided with incubation support, including access to finance, mentorship, and market linkages.
- Workplace Safety and Mobility: The programme will expand safe hostels, childcare and eldercare facilities, and transport solutions to reduce employment barriers for women.
This holistic model aims to address both supply-side constraints (skills and readiness) and demand-side barriers (safety, mobility, and care responsibilities) that have historically limited women’s workforce participation.
World Bank Partnership: Financial and Technical Support
The World Bank has approved a $150 million loan through its Program-for-Results (PforR) financing instrument.
The loan has a 25-year maturity and a 5-year grace period, and will be used to:
- Build institutional capacity for women’s employment
- Roll out Tamil Nadu’s Women’s Policy
- Develop regulatory frameworks to attract investments in women-led enterprises
- Establish a state-level platform to improve access to finance, including loan guarantees and microgrants
According to Auguste Tano Kouame, the World Bank’s Country Director for India, “By skilling up, providing more access to finance, and increasing the availability of enabling services such as crèches, safe hostels, and transportation, this operation will help women meet their aspirations of participating in the workforce.”
Addressing the Gender Gap in Employment
Tamil Nadu has one of the highest female labour force participation rates in India. However, women’s participation still trails behind men by 32 percentage points.
Most women are employed in low-paying, informal, or agricultural jobs, with limited access to formal employment or entrepreneurship opportunities.
The WESAFE Programme aims to shift this paradigm by enabling women to access quality employment opportunities.
It focuses on emerging sectors like electronics, automotive, and services, which are rapidly growing in the state.
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