THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Imparting an added momentum to the Kerala government’s upfront schemes to promote and support grass root level entrepreneurship, the Department of Industries and Commerce (DI&C) has launched an ambitious Entrepreneurship Facilitation Campaign covering all local bodies across the state.
As part of the programme,workshops will be held in each of the 1034 local self-government institutions (LSGIs) in the length and breadth of the state between January 4 and 25, 2024.
The campaign also seeks to create a sustainable facilitation ecosystem to ensure that projects and services initiated by the Government to promote a wide array of local enterprises promptly reach the entrepreneurs.
“This is a first-of-its- kind initiative that seeks to reach out to local communities to tell them about all schemes and supports that are there for them to avail to promote local entrepreneurship, boosting local economy and employment potential”, said Minister for Industries, Law and Coir P Rajeeve.
The LSGI-level workshops will brief the entrepreneurs about the existing projects, incentives and supports which can be availed by them, enhance their confidence in the investment- friendly ecosystem in the state and put good practices and models of the DI&Con the public domain.
Also, the workshops will help the state facilitators to have a better understanding about the ground level challenges faced by entrepreneurs and create forums to take the promotional efforts to a larger audience.
Entrepreneurship Development Executives (EDEs) posted in each LSGI have been entrusted with the responsibility of organising the workshop in the respective area, as a half-day programme in a convenient place.
Elected representatives of LSGIs, officials of the departments concerned in the locality, existing and aspiring entrepreneurs and the public can participate in the workshop. The EDEs will lead classes at the workshops based on the model presentation prepared by the Directorate of Industries and Commerce.
The date of holding the workshop in each LSGI will be decided in consultation with its respective president or chairperson.
As the follow-up, a WhatsApp group will be formed for each LSGIs with all those who attended the workshop as members for providing updates regarding the schemes of DI&C. Also, the deliberations at the workshop will be put on the WhatsApp group in PDF format.
The campaign will bolster the One Local Body One Product (OLOP) project, as part of which 640 LSGIs have already identified the product to be promoted by each of them. The Department of Industries & Commerce has proposed to provide upto Rs 50,000 for drawing up the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for value-addition and promotion of the selected project, which is expected to be launched this year itself.
Also, the Department of Industries & Commerce has come out with a scheme to make use of the vacant land in LSGIs for developing industrial parks and estates on Public Panchayat Partnership model, with financial assistance of upto Rs 3 crore.
A slew of other schemes to promote local entrepreneurship have also been initiated, such as honouring LSGIs that excel in promoting enterprises based on a scoring method that takes into account a set of parameters and Local Economic Development (LED) project for economic development and job generation.
Also, the rules and procedures for starting enterprises have been simplified and timely delivery of services and supports assured, considerably enhancing the confidence of local entrepreneurs.
