World Bank Clears $150M Boost for Women Jobs in Tamil Nadu
WESAFE Programme to train over 6 lakh women, support 18,000 entrepreneurs, and improve workplace safety, housing, and transport access.
The World Bank has greenlit a $150 million loan to aid Tamil Nadu’s Women Employment and Safety (WESAFE) Programme, aiming to increase female workforce participation and improve job quality for 1.6 million women across the state.
Under this initiative, over 600,000 women will receive skills training and career support, while 18,000 women entrepreneurs will be provided incubation support to launch businesses. The programme also focuses on expanding safe hostels, childcare, elderly care, and transport solutions to ease employment barriers.
Despite Tamil Nadu’s economic strides, women’s participation in the labour force remains 32 percentage points lower than men’s, concentrated largely in low-paid informal and agricultural jobs. As the state targets a $1 trillion economy by 2030, the programme is a key policy step to unlock the untapped potential of its women workforce.
The World Bank-supported programme will also help build institutional capacity, roll out Tamil Nadu’s Women’s Policy, and frame regulatory tools to attract non-farm sector investments and support women-led enterprises.
A state-level platform, backed by private capital, will be established to help women access finance and raise awareness of financial instruments such as loan guarantees and microgrants.
“The program will strengthen partnerships with industry, academia, and private players to improve mobility, housing, and financing access for women,” said Muderis Abdulahi Mohammed and Pradyumna Bhattacharjee, Task Team Leaders for the initiative. The $150 million IBRD loan comes with a 25-year maturity and a 5-year grace period.
