Upskilling Rural Women for Toy Making through Skill India Movement: With Special Reference to Channapatna Toy Making

Abstract

Upskilling women by empowering them through Women Entrepreneurship. Women Entrepreneur is a person who accepts a challenging role to meet her personal needs and become economically independent. Many women have this quality, but they never got a platform to show their talents and hence, their real abilities are not revealed. Women in India are taking more responsibilities in bringing up children and maintaining a better home with love and affection. At the family level, the task of coordinating various activities in a more effective manner, without feeling the pinch of inconveniences, is being carried out by the women folk. This paper focuses on toy making through upskilling women entrepreneurs in India, especially in toy making industry with special reference to Channapatna toys. Women are equally competent in running businesses but lacks behind, in spite of the women empowerment movement in our country. There are social, cultural, and economic hurdles in the way of women entrepreneurship and the major problem is lack of entrepreneurial environment. In spite of their potential and talent, women are deprived of opportunities, information and education. Some of the major problems identified are women's family obligations, gender inequality, financial problems, low-risk-taking attitude and the male-female competition. The problems of women entrepreneurs can be eradicated by appropriate training, incentives, encouragement and motivation, social recognition of their entrepreneurial abilities, and family moral support. Women are also given proper training on the upliftment of the knowledge regarding the toy making.