(THE NEWSMAN OF INDIA.COM)
The National SC ST Hub conclave (Orissa) witnessed participation from CPSEs, Banks, Industry Associations and various central & state govt. agencies. The purpose of the conclave was to create awareness of schemes under NSSH like Special Marketing Assistance Scheme, Single Point Registrations Scheme in addition to disseminate information of central schemes like MUDRA, Stand-up India, CGTMSE, etc. It also aimed to share information on products/services that could be procured from SC/ST MSEs informed Ravindra Nath,CMD, NSIC

The event was attended by a host of dignitaries which included Dharmendra Pradhan,Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship,Jual Oram, Minister of Tribal Affairs, Giriraj Singh,MoS (IC) for Ministry of MSME. Dr. A. K. Panda, Secretary, MSME along with other senior officials from the M/o MSME and State Government of Odisha were also present.

In addition, there were 60 stalls setup by PSEs, Banks and SC ST entrepreneurs. The participating PSEs included NALCO, GAIL, IOCL, MCL, SAIL, NTPC, ONGC, etc. Banks that were present include SBI, SIDBI, Canara Bank, Allahabad Bank, UCO Bank, etc. Representatives from Government e Marketplace, KVIC, MSME DI, and Tool Rooms also attended the event. The conclave also saw participation from industry associations such as DICCI, TICCI, OASME, etc.Around 1,000 SC/ST entrepreneurs& youth including women participated in the Conclave. The event also saw several entrepreneurs showcasing their products.

DharampadaBhawan – a one stop shop for MSMEs:The conclave coincided with the inauguration of National Small Industries Corporation’s (NSIC) largest office building in eastern India,DharampadaBhawan, which is an Integrated Marketing Development Centre (IMDC). It is a 3-star GRIHA rated green building, having a built up area of approx. 1,10,000 sq. ft. and is located inMancheswar Industrial Area, Bhubaneswar. The new building will be having offices of various agencies like National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), National Skill Training Institute (NSTI), etc. which will be working with NSIC for providing integrated support to various MSMEs including SC/ST MSMEs. It will also have NSIC’s National SC-ST Hub Office (NSSHO) which will provide handholding to SC-ST enterprises through assistance in participation in CPSE tenders and subsequent empanelment, support in availing government schemes, finance facilitation, etc.

Helping Odisha become a skilled manpower hub for textile sector:In line with Odisha’s efforts to provide skilled manpower to leading textile clusters in India, an Apparel Training cum Incubation Centre for Textile Sector was also inauguratedwithin the IMDC building. It will beimparting training to men and women as part of handholding support for creating employment & self-employment opportunities in Odisha.

An initiative towards making the unemployed self-employed: In addition, an MOU between NSIC, Rourkela Steel Plant and National Scheduled Tribe Finance Development Corporationwas signed for setting up of a Livelihood Business Incubator at Rourkela for transforming the tribal youth from “unemployed” to “self-employed” in different trades, thus creating more job opportunities in Odisha.

Helping build a future ready workforce through technology:NSIC is also partnering with SAP for skill development of youth on enterprise software. A MoU between NSIC and SAP was signed during the event. As part of the MoU, SAP India will leverage the well-established network of NSIC Technical Service Centers, to create future ready workforce through training on “Business One” ERP software.

The occasion provided an ideal platform for SC/ST owned MSEs to interact with CPSEs, State PSEs and Banks in addition to apprising them of the new IMDC facility which can assist in building their capacities and help in availing various types of services that can contribute to their growth and prosperity.