Women's suppression is rooted in the very fabric of Indian society- in traditions, in religious doctrine and practices, within the educational and legal systems, and within families. Traditionally, women bear primary responsibility for the well being of their families. Yet they are discriminated systematically and denied access to resources such as education, health care services, job training, etc. in comparison with other states in India, the ground reality of women in the state remains an area of grave concern.

As our father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi said in Young India "Women must have votes and an equal legal status. But the problem does not end there. It only commences at the point where women begin to affect the political deliberations of the nation".

As UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has stated, "Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance." This recognition is currently missing in the state of Tamil Nadu. Transforming the prevailing social discrimination against women must become the top priority, and must happen concurrently with increased direct action to rapidly improve the social and economic status of women. In this way, a synergy of progress can be achieved.

Without economic empowerment, the development of women is an empty promise. Plans, policies, legislations and laws provide only the philosophical blueprint for directing the progress of society. Translated into practical terms, these plans fructify only when women receive economic power in their hands. The status of women is instantly uplifted with economic independence. The Saraswathy Shanmugam Public Charitable Trust is implementing the socio-economic programs for the economic development of rural and needy women across the Tiruvannamalai District.