Poompuhar bags egovernance award due to IT initiative

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited, known as Poompuhar, has won the National e-Governance Silver Award for the year 2016-17 for the way it transformed the department using Information Technology.

Poompuhar chairman and managing director Santhosh Babu said the department had been rendered into a complete online organisation. Things were achieved with a click or touch.

IT interventions in administration, marketing, in design and production helped Poompuhar clinch the award. Poompuhar was short listed by the Union government about five months ago. A three-member team visited Poompuhar headquarters where a demo of the e-facilities was provided. Later, an evaluation took place in New Delhi.

All its 128 employees, including peons, were connected. Decisions which normally took 25 days were taken in a few hours.

Poopmpuhar has taken to the global route thanks to e-commerce. Its products were sold through e-Commerce giants like Snapdeal, Flipkart, Shopclues, Crafts villa and India Mart.

Poompuhar will enter the souvenir market. Santhosh Babu said Poompuhar was looking at iconic temples. In 2013-14, Poompuhar netted Rs 30.87 crore, the highest ever for the corporation. This year it hopes to cross Rs 42 crore.