In order to promote entrepreneurship culture and spread awareness of the National SC-ST Hub (NSSH) scheme, the ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), organised a NSSH Conclave at Aizawl in Mizoram. The event was attended by Mizoram Health & Family Welfare minister Dr. R Lalthangliana, and Esther Lalruatkimi, Principal Secretary, Department of Commerce & Industries. The event saw a participation of more than 300 SC-ST entrepreneurs.
Addressing the gathering, Joint Secretary, Ministry of MSME, Mercy Epao said, for inclusive growth, Ministry of MSME implements the National SC-ST Hub Scheme with an objective of creating an ecosystem for SC and ST entrepreneurs and handholding them to participate in the public procurement to reach 4 per cent mandate as per the public procurement policy.
Dr. Lalthangliana, motivated the NSSH scheme beneficiaries by felicitating them and inspiring the aspiring entrepreneurs present at the programme. Speaking on the occasion, he said “It will be heartening to see SC-ST entrepreneurs from Mizoram leverage benefits offered under NSSH and various other schemes of Ministry of MSME. He urged the participants to interact with the representatives from various organisations participating in the Conclave and discuss about the opportunities that can be leveraged by them.”
He also said that it is imperative for the state government to work hand in hand with the Ministry of MSME to scale-up the growth of the MSME sector of the State.
The programme provided an interactive platform for aspiring and existing SC-ST entrepreneurs to interact with Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), lending institutions, GeM, RSeti among others. It also witnessed the participation of CPSEs like Food Corporation of India, Power Grid Corporation Limited, North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd. who gave presentations on their vendor empanelment process and details of products and services to be procured.
The programme also had financial institutions such as UCO Bank, State Bank of India, North Eastern Development Finance Corporation (NEDFi) which detailed various lending schemes pertaining to the MSME sector. The program also had facilitation desks of UDYAM Registration and GeM for facilitating registrations of SC/ST MSE participants on the spot.
Nurturing the MSME sector is important for the economic well-being of the nation. Government is consistently working to empower MSMEs for sustainable growth and to become compatible in the global value chain. These types of State level conclaves assist SC/ST MSMEs to expand their horizons by incorporating new ideas as they become aware of the various interventions given by the Government.
