SHILLONG:
With many entrepreneurs struggling to get funds, the Executive Director of Meghalaya State Skills Development Society (MSSDS) Shivansh Awasthi said that the MSSDS will come up with a corpus fund to help entrepreneurs post their training.
Speaking to reporters at the Haat Bazaar programme on Wednesday, he said, “The plan is to give them (entrepreneurs) loan linkages through banks, but and many times the loan amount is short and banks have their own targets, so we will have a corpus fund in MSSDS also. Right now it is under consideration and examination by MSSDS how we can create a corpus fund and link it to post-training experience of the entrepreneurs so that they can use those funds.”
Asked about how forthcoming youth were towards entrepreneurship are, he observed that they are exploring ventures but he maintained that the youth should have correct information with them.
“We are planning to have mobilisation this year so that we can tell them about opportunities. We are going to create a dashboard and an online platform to publicise it so any youth who wants to be trained, can come to the platform and register his
details and based on the details, we will reach out to the youth,” Awasthi said.
He said that there has been a lot of disruption in the last two years due to Covid. Considering the feedback, he said that the MSSDS is planning to have fairs in Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills with an aim to promote local entrepreneurs and their products.
Commenting on the prospect of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), he said that the MSSDS is focusing on sectors which are relevant to the state such as food processing sector, training in tourism, tour operator, communication skills, hospitality etc.
Asked about the processing sector, Awasthi said that it is one which has a gap as there are not many food processing units for the farmers.
“There are the FOCUS and Prime Hub programmes through which we are trying to promote. Our target is to converge these two programmes with the skills in MSSDS where people will be given financial support besides training in marketing, packaging.”