SC/ST entrepreneurs urged to grab opportunity under NSSH scheme

A Correspondent

DHUBRI: The 2nd Vendor Development Programme under the National Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Hub (NSSH) Scheme was held at Tinsukia Rotary Community Hall on Saturday. The programme was organized by the Assam Small Industries Development Corporation Limited (ASIDC) which is implementing the NSSH in Assam in association with North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (NEDFi) and with the support of PHD Chamber of Commerce in accordance with the NSSH scheme which is an initiative of the Ministry of Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MoMSME).

The programme was organized to develop a supportive ecosystem for SC/ST entrepreneurs. It was attended by around 60 SC/ST entrepreneurs from in and around Tinsukia.

While addressing the meeting, Tinsukia district BJP Scheduled Caste Morcha leader Ilu Chandra Das urged the SC/ST entrepreneurs to take advantage of the opportunity under the NSSH scheme and explained to the micro entrepreneurs and artisans as to how to compete with the modern industries by improving the quality of products, marketing and advertising.

Deputy Director of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industries, NER, SK Hazarika in his speech said that the Vendor Development Programme would provide professional support to SC/ST entrepreneurs to fulfil the obligations under the Central Government Public Procurement Policy for micro and small enterprises, and adopt applicable business practices and leverage the Stand-Up India initiative. Hazarika also informed that to ensure that benefits of growth spread across all sections of the society, especially the marginalized groups, the government was trying to make procurement activities of the public sector more inclusive and participative.

In this regard, the Public Procurement Policy 2012 for MSMEs mandates that Central Government ministries, departments and public-sector undertakings procure minimum of 25 per cent of their annual value of goods or services from MSMEs out of which 4 per cent of total procurement of goods and services are to be made from micro and small enterprises owned by SC/ ST entrepreneurs, Hazarika added.

Assistant Director of Cottage Industries DICC of Tinsukia, Nabanarayan Bora, Manager (Materials) of Oil India Limited, Munin Konwar and Chief Manager (C&P), BCPL, Pranjal Phukan spoke at a length on the various prospects and opportunities offered by the Central Government for entrepreneurs and called upon them to grab these opportunities.

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