Rural entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu face many business challenges especially when it comes to management, accounting, accessing formal finance and digitalisation. This is why the Vazhndhu Kattuvom Project, aided by the World Bank, has introduced a digital bookkeeping service through the MeraBills app under the Matching Grant Program that helps them track their businesses and access formal finance and digital marketplaces.

The Digital bookkeeping app is a game-changer for 2000 Rural Entrepreneurs from the VKP’s Matching Grant Program that significantly empowers them with ease of use and sustainability of their business prospects.

An intensive MeraBills Master Trainer program has upskilled 6 cluster-level batches of 207 Project Executives (PEs) and Enterprise Community Professionals (ECPs) from 24 VKP districts in TN.

These trainers guide thousands of microentrepreneurs in the use of the MeraBills digital book-keeping Android app and offer continuous support whilst they get the hang of business administration using MeraBills. The trained microentrepreneurs will hail from various districts of Tamil Nadu like Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Thiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Vellore, Ranipet, Krishnagiri, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur, Thiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Karur, Namakkal, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Virudhunagar.

Since its launch, 203 Rural Entrepreneurs (REs) have successfully integrated MeraBills into their regular business operations. Their progress is closely monitored through a specially designed DASHBOARD which tracks their weekly engagement.

Feedback from VKP’s Master Trainers has been highly positive. They praise the initiative for simplifying bookkeeping and providing rural entrepreneurs with a much-needed tool to track their businesses efficiently. With MeraBills, REs now easily monitor profits/losses and access vital financial resources for their business growth.

The MeraBills app greatly exemplifies how technology can serve as a catalyst for rural transformation and empowerment. Such simple digital initiatives not only propel rural businesses forward but also make lives easier and futures brighter for rural communities across Tamil Nadu.