Odisha govt to organize Entrepreneurship Development Program to empower and guide MSMEs

New Delhi, Aug 11 (KNN) Odisha government has decided to conduct 500 Entrepreneurship Development Programmes (EDPs) during this financial year across the state.

The Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) department, through District Industries Centre (DIC) will conduct the program of 12 days duration and similar number of day long sensitization programs for motivating and empowering youth on entrepreneurship and guiding them for setting up of micro and small enterprises.

These programs will be conducted one per block, 2 per NAC/Municipality and 5 per Municipal Corporation.

This was decided during the 2-days conference of General Managers, District Industries Centre (DIC) Chaired by L.N. Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary MSME.

General Managers of DICs/RICs have been instructed to encourage MSMEs to register under Udyog Aadhar Memorandum (UAM), Govt. E-Marketing (GeM) and Zero-Effect-Zero-Defect (ZED) for improvement of processes and products.

The review meeting was held on Friday, from where it emerged that during the current year, 8711 SME units have gone into production with an investment of Rs.731 crore and employment to 43,847 persons.

Under Prime Minister Employment Guarantee Program (PMEGP), against the annual target of 3,088 beneficiaries, margin money (subsidy) to the tune of Rs.22.40 crore in 979 cases has been disbursed, which comes to 31.70% of the target.

Bankers have further sanctioned 179 cases involving margin money of Rs.4.50 crore. Bankers have been requested to distribute the target to all branches so that each branch sanctions and disburses PMEGP loans to at least 2-3 cases, said LN Gupta in the review meeting

Under the Single Window, out of the total 884 applications received, 621 applications have been approved.

General Managers, RIC / DICs have been instructed to expedite disposal of the pending cases.

GMs, RICs/DICs have also been requested to coordinate with the Central and State PSUs for promotion of downstream and ancillary industries.

 A special session on development of coir industry in Odisha was also organized, in which Vineeta Hariharan, Chief Programme Officer of the Coir Board of India requested all bankers and General Managers to implement Coir Udyami Yojana (CUY), which has been merged with PMEGP.

She also urged them to facilitate financing of at least one coir unit each in coir potential districts and to implement the Coir Industry Technology Up-gradation Scheme (CITUS) program at grass root level.