Winners of ‘Puththozhil Kalam’ felicitated

Kanimozhi Karunanidhi felicitates winners of 'Puththozhil Kalam' initiative, supporting youth social start-up ideas in Thoothukudi district.

Thoothukudi Lok Sabha Member Kanimozhi Karunanidhi felicitated the winners of ‘Puththozhil Kalam’ initiative, at an event held here on Saturday.

The initiative was launched by Ms. Kanimozhi to identify and support the best social start-up ideas from youth between the age of 18 and 35, with the potential to bring about visible change in Thoothukudi district through their proposals.

Launched on the National Youth Day, the programme received over 400 applications. From these 10, outstanding proposals were shortlisted and eventually three entrepreneurs were selected as winners.

Addressing the gathering, she said, “Out of 400 applicants, selecting the top 10 itself was a challenging task. Choosing the final three winners among them was even more difficult, considering passion and resilience in facing challenges.”

She added that these social start-up ideas initiated by the entrepreneurs were started with a sense of social responsibility and commitment to the community.

The MP further awarded financial support of ₹10 lakh each to the winners, Aarthi Arumugam from Kovilpatti, Dhanesh Kanagaraj from Vilathikulam and Joseph Gasquerino from Thoothukudi. It was announced that the funds will be disbursed in phases over one year, ensuring timely financial support to each stage of their business development.

Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Minister Geetha Jeevan, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Minister Anitha Radhakrishnan and others were present at the event.