January 2005
The big poser that looms ahead of the younger generation of today and of the coming times is that of livelihood: the means to dignified and gainful employment.
One ready and meaningful solution, which is also satisfying at the same time, lies in choosing the road to entrepreneurship. This fact must be carried home into the minds of our youth in such a manner that it would be as irresistible as a career in computer applications. The made-attractive idea must be presented at the moment of their reaching the crossroads of educational choice so that there would be less of employment seeking and more of employment making. In other words, the only viable alternative to employment is pursuing entrepreneurship strategy. 
This situation is not unique to our country by any means. This is the state of affairs in the entire developing world today. But in the current scenario under the overhang of WTO and pervaded by the spirit of globalisation, entrepreneurship development (ED) appears to be a scary element. So, how do we chase away the scare?
nisietconvened the recent 2-day national conference on entrepreneurship in the era of globalisation (6-7 Jan. 05) precisely with the intention of evolving a viable course of action or set of measures through expert brainstorming about the issue.
The conference has been a success both in terms of intellectual participation and in terms of realizing the intention. The topic has been examined from every angle, its every aspect discussed and deliberated upon by eminent personages from a wide range of specialised streams including professors, practicing entrepreneurs, bankers, policy-makers, trainers and support providers. The hon’ble chief minister of Andhra Pradesh inaugurated the event while the Secretary; MoSSI & ARI was the chief guest of the valedictory session.
The happy aspect of the outcome has been that there has been a convergence of views, which gives strength and concreteness to the proposed course of action or strategy. It also indicates with definiteness that the suggested measures are pointing in the right direction. The house proclaimed with one voice that entrepreneurship is the key to income generation and innovation is the key to negotiating the challenges of globalisation.
Consensus also prevailed on the point of introducing entrepreneurship into school curriculum. The house went one step further and suggested that entrepreneurs be buffered with image building and presented as heroes and stars as in the case of sports persons and adventurers. The teachers of ED must be strengthened through suitable and necessary training so that they will act not only as motivators but will be competent to play the role of mentors, guides and escorts.
As to the role of ED institutions, there were no two opinions. It is the onus of EDIs to chalk out strategies and solutions to cope with problems and to provide competence-building inputs through training to entrepreneurs as well as promotion and supporting agents. Also, research into model building and other aspects of ED, and devising mechanisms for screening and identifying the potential entrepreneurs most likely to start up are the onerous responsibilities of EDIs, of which nisietis also one.
As is well known to our stakeholders,nisiet is in the vanguard of matters concerning entrepreneurship and ED is at the very heart of the Institute. For nisiet entrepreneurship is not merely a solution to a gritty problem. It is the vehicle of economic development that will lead the countries of the developing world to prosperity in the face of globalisation.
This vision can be realised through starting district level counseling centers, a clearly defined ED policy, encouraging private sector consultancy to help the beginners to start-up and find markets. We are already engaged in the promotion of cluster approach, and are looking forward to institutional partnerships and catering to the needs at state level. Prosperous states will make a prosperous nation.
February 2005
Building up an economy is like building a mansion, more or less. To bring the mansion to shape, we have to lay brick by brick and stone by stone. Not all bricks and stones are of the same size. The creative and resourceful architect raises the structure with the materials at hand, without casting off anything as waste. So is it with building up the economy of the nation. The smallest and apparently weak components must be converted to opportunities. That is where creative vision becomes necessary.
While alluding to small and weak components, I am naturally thinking of the downtrodden segments and backward sections of the society, who exist in every state of our country – in some states more, in some less. Unless these segments are moved forward, unless their activities are woven into the central pattern of the country’s economy, we as a nation will never attain the level of total development.
A large part of these deprived sections are found in our deep rural and forest areas, though urban locations have their share. These people are generally low in literacy, swamped by poverty, having inadequate means of livelihood, and are comprised of scheduled castes/tribes, artisans, bonded labour, women, handicapped, and so on. To provide them with access to income creation channels, alleviate poverty and economically empower them, promotion of micro business through self-help groups (SHGs) has proved to be a highly effective tool.The result has been most salutary with respect to groups comprised mainly of women.
Women are traditionally known to be astute managers and creatively resourceful, even the illiterates. Well managing women have kept families alive in the most distressing circumstances. Therefore it is not surprising that micro businesses of women groups have created far-reaching ripples.
Perceiving the favourable impact of micro enterprises and SHGs, all the states of our country have come up with schemes for promoting micro business through women groups, the twin objectives of the schemes being empowerment of the disadvantaged segments of the society and poverty alleviation through income generation
Some states have separate schemes for promoting micro enterprises. In Andhra Pradesh, micro enterprise is currently being promoted through Rajiv Yuva Shakti Yojana (RYSY). A.P. is one of the states where SHGs especially women groups have proved to be singularly successful. The groups under DWCRA, the erstwhile scheme for the Development of Woman and Children in Rural Asreas, have received high commendations from government as well as the bankers. In Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat too SHGs and micro businesses have proved to be a result-oriented strategy for achieving empowerment of the poor and the downtrodden; women have played a dominant role.
Women, who comprise half of the nation’s human resource, represent half of the country’s strength and account for much more than half of the productivity can no longer be ignored. They have emerged as a force to reckon with in all nation building process, and that includes micro business development.
Not only in India but even in the developed countries like the U.K. and Australia, micro business development through promotion of women entrepreneurs has proved effective in giving a new face to the economy.
nisiet has been involved with micro business promotion schemes of both central and state governments, including the RYSY of A.P. It has also designed and developed customised interventions to suit specific groups and specific skills. Our programmes brought desirable results in Rajasthan. nisiet is mainly concerned with how potential persons can be transformed into dynamic entrepreneurs by creating enabling environment and be made to optimally contribute to the progress of the nation.
Research shows that traditional societies rooted in religion are low in entrepreneurial behaviour. However, they too are changing towards entrepreneurial spirit with changing times. India, with its billion population, is emerging as a super-power along with China. We have to now project our entrepreneurial heroes as role models and concentrate on how best to foster an entrepreneurial society, and convert disadvantages to advantages by developing our innovative strengths.
March 2005
For us in India, March is a month echoing with special humand buzz – that of the aftermath of the Union General Budget.Budget is an event looked forward to every year by consumer and producer, user and provider alike with equally eager anticipation. Its aftermath is therefore, needless to say, full of debates and discussions about its fulfilments and disappointments, its promises and let-downs.
The Rs. 514,344 crore budget for the fiscal year 2005-06 has many cheerful features as far as the small and medium enterprise sector is concerned. It has provisions for rural and agricultural sectors, for backward areas, as well as for industries, endeavouring to alleviate poverty and improve the standard of living in the former case and to dynamise the industries in the latter.
The highlight of the provisions for agriculture and rural development is the Rs. 630 crore allocation for a national horticulture mission, showing a clear appreciation of the expanding economic potential of floriculture both within the country and abroad. Other notable features with a strong rural flavour include the financial package for sugar industry (which NABARD has to formulate), which brightens up the lot of sugar farmers too; a proposed scheme for development of agricultural marketing, infrastructure, grading and standardisation, which would greatly ease up the situation for the small farmer; and the launching of a project on national scale for the repair and restoration of water bodies, which would provide relief in terms of irrigation as well as drinking water.Further, the proposed extension of the total sanitation campaign to all the districts, fund for sarva siksha abhiyan and the setting up of knowledge centres in every village, when implemented, would alter the face of our villages, bringing them closer to Bapuji’s vision.The Rs. 5,000 crore allocation to backward areas development is likely to narrow down regional disparities, which are purported to be at the root of many social ills.
The proposal that kindles hopes in the hearts of rural folk is the allocation of Rs. 11,000 crore to national rural employment guarantee scheme, which holds the promise of achieving significant reduction in rural unemployment thereby slowing down the pace of urban migration. nisiet can participate in this scheme and offer many kinds of services such as identifying the training needs of the beneficiaries, organising the training programmes, monitoring and follow-up, handholding,capacity building and facilitating employment and income generation through micro enterprise creation. The Institute has the necessary expertise and methodological base for this kind of exercise.
By far the most important of the measures towards rural development are the schemes focusing infrastructure development – roads, highways,electrification and water supply – and generally aiming at improving the rural connectivity, which would make rural areas stand out in the map of the country.
On the SME front, the most important measure proposed is the introduction of an SME development bill, which is entrusted to the hon’ble MoSSI. The relief in customs duty proposed for selected industries including leather, footwear, pharma, bio-tech and IT will facilitate imports of raw material and machinery for the export oriented units. The substantial reduction in excise duty on a wide range of products will help boost the domestic market for them. The proposed de-reservation of 108 items is expected to energise these industries and introduce competitiveness. The modernisation of agricultural and agro-based industries will provide them with marketing fillip both in terms of exports and on home front. Here too nisiet can offer consulting services to identify the units to be modernised and prepare project reports for modernisation.
The emphasis on knowledge-based industries and food processing sector predicts new avenues of growth for them. The SME growth fund with a corpus of Rs.500 crore, established by SIDBI, is particularly favourable to the knowledge-based sector. nisiet can play a vital role here by way of setting up incubation centres, and provide technical and managerial skills to KBEs like bio-tech units. The stress on R&D augurs well for rising front rank industries like the bio-tech sector.
The proposed manufacturing competitiveness programme for SMEs, when its implementation is in full swing, will help the entrepreneurs to take competition in their stride and hone their marketing edge to a fineness, and enable them to carve a niche for their products in the global markets. In this direction, nisiet can organise programmes to spread IPR awareness under WTO regime, including related training, and can conduct workshops, etc. The Institute can also undertake need assessment for the manufacturing units requiring IPR conformity.
The earmarking of Rs. 40 crore in the first phase to give a face-lift to handlooms through clusters approach upholds the government’s keen interest in cluster development and its determination to resuscitate handlooms, which are our country’s heritage industry. nisiet, through its National Resource Centre for Cluster Development (NRCD), which has the competence and capability, can undertake identification of handloom clusters, diagnostic studies, need based training programmes/ workshops, monitoring and follow-up, and hand-holding to improve the performance and productivity of the cluster units in terms of quality and quantity.
Training too has not been overlooked. About one hundred ITIs are proposed to be upgraded through enhancement of the skills of their teachers, which speaks positively for the promotion of self-enterprise. In this respect,nisiet brings the advantage of more than forty years of its experience and expertise in training and curriculum development for entrepreneurship promotion, skill development for enterprise creation, teachers’ training, etc., which will give the benefit of practical orientation to the teachers as well as students. On the whole, the Union Budget 2005-06 presents a hopeful picture for the economic growth and development of the country as also for the SME sector. nisiet is looking forward to adding its tiny mite of effort to give shape to the happy picture envisioned in the budget.
April 2005
Trend of times and turn of events converge to catapult certain concepts or processes into prominence. For instance, over the past decade the process of globalisation has shot collaboration/ cooperation into such prominence that today it is undisputedly the vogue in every arena. Cooperation is in the air whether in politics, business or scholastics. nisiet is abreast here as in other things, true to the spirit of the times.
In 2004, nisiet signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Centre for Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP), head-quartered in Bangladesh. This year, the Institute has already entered an MoU with the Afro-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO), housed in New Delhi.
His Excellency the Secretary-General of AARDO Mr. Abdalla Yahia Adam graced the Institute campus during this month, accompanied by two of his officers, which was a prelude to the MoU.
nisiet and AARDO are wedded to certain common goals, one of which is rural development especially the non-farm sector. The two organisations will work in association in the areas of poverty alleviation, transfer of technology, micro enterprises, micro finance, entrepreneurship development, women empowerment through self-help groups approach, capacity building among weaker sections, etc. AARDO delegates will be participating in nisiet ’s international programmes scheduled for the current year.
nisiet will share a common platform with AARDO in programmes on training of trainers and action research projects, assist AARDO to establish training and human resource development institutions in the Afro-Asian countries and in B2B transactions, liaisoning, etc.
The link between nisiet and AARDO is forged with the strength and vision of common endeavours and objectives. AARDO, an organisation with twenty-seven African and Asian countries as its members, is committed to improving the living conditions and standards of rural populace of the African and Asian countries, which is evident from the name of the organisation itself. Mainly, AARDO aims at promoting participative cooperation – which means showing active concern towards each other’s problems and reaching out – among the countries of the Afro-Asian region particularly to improve rural life conditions. The Organisation itself will play the role of a catalyser, and endeavours to accomplish its objective by evolving an integrated approach, which is expected to be more effective and speedier.
The activities of AARDO span over conducting conferences and seminars, organising training programmes, study visits and field training, initiating surveys and studies on issues pertaining to rural development, financial development projects, dissemination of information (regarding rural development) and allied programmes. It also arranges technical and financial assistance to member countries for implementing their schemes and projects of rural development through international bodies like the IBRD and the various organs of the UN.
Liaison is one of the most important functions of AARDO, which is vital to fund-raising as well as to accomplishing the slated objectives. AARDO’s liaison function includes not only collaborating with international and regional organisations of similar nature and the UN agencies, but also the governmental and non-governmental bodies in both developing and developed countries. More importantly, it assists and facilitates the formation of farmers’ and other development oriented rural organisations and works for a favourable relationship mutually between such bodies and between them and the concerned governmental agencies.
nisiet , as is well known, has been working with the primary mandate of promoting SME sector, one of its core concerns being the propagation of self-enterprise among all sections of society especially motivating the unemployed youth – highly educated as well as the not so well educated, urban and rural, women and weaker sections – to opt for the entrepreneurial career instead of falling into despair due to lack of direction.
The Institute has been reaching out with its services of entrepreneurship promotion, which include training and research, consultancy, project formulation and evaluation, education and information, and so forth. So far, 120 countries of the developing world have benefited from the Institute’s expertise. Besides, nisiet has been closely associated with AARDO since the inception of the latter. Their present collaboration spotlighting the promotion of non-farm/ off-farm activities in the rural areas of the Afro-Asian region is particularly significant, as the economic potential of agriculture has been fully realised in almost all the countries of the region. In the given circumstances strengthening the non-farm sector will not only accelerate the rural economic development in the region but also enable the countries to absorb the pressures of globalisation.
The coming together of two such organisations to accomplish a common purpose is therefore a happy event and will go a long way in realising mutual objectives, and augurs well for the rural developing world.
May 2005
Schumacher’s popular dictum ‘Small is beautiful’ has been proven in the Botticelli miniatures of the Renaissance art and in the contemporary technological wonder of miniature electronics. Paradoxically, in the realm of economic self-enterprise, in relation to which the bon mot has been enunciated, it appears to have been constantly ridden with uncertainties. However, most of the developing countries have adopted it as a policy motto to limber up their economies, among whom India is in the forefront.
To sort out the various irritants befuddling the growth of this focused sector, the Indian government has been coming up with new and ever more effective initiatives. A wide network of support institutions competent to assist in different areas is one of them, as also a set of entrepreneurship promotional organisations. The states followed the example of the Union and added their own policy initiatives and support measures. The turnabout changes in policy vis-à-vis the small (including micro and medium) enterprise have, however, put these very institutions to test – of their tenacity – to say nothing of the sector itself.
The regional institutions particularly have cut a poor figure in respect of their deliverables. Due to inappropriately directed activities, these institutions have been feeble in generating revenue for self-sustenance, which has become the need of the hour in view of the modified policy. Most of the promotional organisations could not expand their entrepreneurial promotion activities to reach the various needy target groups, with the result that their performance has fallen far short of the expectations. On the off side the state governments are not in a position to pump funds into these institutions, as they are themselves facing a ‘crunch’.
The silver lining to this disturbing situation is the inclination on the part of the ministry of SSI to support the revitalisation of these support institutions towards self-reliance through innovative activities and programmes
The enterprise promoting organisations, as the enterprise makers themselves, need to overhaul their outlook and approach, and gear up to meet the mode and mood of the times. Organisations may flourish or fade, but what is important is to delineate workable strategies to enable them to hold their own in the face of adversity. This needs creative thinking and breaking away from the trodden path.
Unless these institutions diversify their activities in keeping with the new demands thrown up by the changing scenario around them, they are in danger of falling into disuse, degeneration and decay. nisiet, a similar institution, holds the torch in this respect. Having pioneered the concept of EDP, since its inception, it has established many milestones by turning to ever new areas from its original goal of trainers’ training to field level activities of cluster development. Having adopted the classic model of entrepreneurship promotion for decades, in the crucial hour of challenge it turned to new vistas of timely focus, deriving opportunities from the challenges (as we advise the entrepreneurs to do) without quite throwing out the traditional knowledge.
Keeping sight of the current needs of the regional institutions, we escort and handhold them, and help them revive through our association in their activities. Our involvement with the Entrepreneurship Management Institute (EMI) of Jaipur (Rajasthan State) is one such undertaking. The EMI has excellent infrastructure and the potential to take up a wide range of activities for the development of micro, small and medium enterprise sector in the state of Rajasthan.
The first step to our undertaking takes the form of a ‘memorandum of understanding’ with EMI for organising programmes of current relevance and initiating various activites in Rajasthan. To execute this phase with thorough efficacy, nisiet is setting up a field-base at the EMI. This process would help the EMI to fortify its own faculty base and see it through to organising programmes on its own resource in the foreseeable future. Resuscitating the regional EDIs is a matter of national priority now. These institutions have been raised by pouring huge amounts of valuable resources into them. Instead of mutely allowing their decay, sincere efforts need to be initiated to revitalise and make them self-reliant avoiding colossal waste of public wealth. nisiet, having itself turned a new leaf, is eager to share out the benefit of its experience to revitalise the regional institutions in other states of the country.
June 2005
Whenever we conceive a development strategy we tend to focus towards the urban milieu.It is a psychological tendency –to first think of town and city dwelling populace, of hitech industries, of high profile businesses, of the glamour of sophistication – to succumb to the magic spell and the mysterious charm of the city.
When our government took the initiative to revive the age old concept of cluster approach vis-à-vis the promotion of SME sector, by and large the choice veered towards mechanised and technologised industries in urban settings. We must correct this aberration in the beginning stage itself and give a wider berth to rural development in the application of the cluster approach.
Cluster development approach was identified as a powerful instrument for the development of manufacturing sector by UNIDO in 1996. A few examples of SME clusters were then obtaining in Italy and a few other European countries. In India cluster approach has been re-introduced primarily with a view to promoting micro and small enterprises as a vehicle of economic development and thus bridge regional disparities. Cluster method can be applied with profit to rural economic pursuits – micro and small enterprises, artisan activities such as handlooms and handicrafts, activities of khadi, village and cottage industries such as limestone crushing and honey extraction, and other
activities based on forest produce. When I say cluster method is beneficial to rural activities I mean that it must be trimmed and tailored to fit the measure of local needs and endowments, dovetailed to the specific requirements of indigenous competencies, traditional crafts, geographical conditions and native resources to propagate non-farm and off-farm enterprise.nisiet will henceforth concentrate on helping the rural enterprises to overcome their inherent problems through cluster approach.
Our rural enterprises by nature tend to be conservative, inward looking, and somewhat anachronistic, in spite of their elegance of art, punctilious dedication to tradition and nicety of talent. They are beset with many ‘lack’ factors: lack of competitiveness, lack of growth, lack of productivity, lack of market expansion, lack of exposure, lack of IPR awarenes and so on. Like all other sectors of enterprises, they too have come under the threatening impact of globalisation and WTO regime. Cluster approach, properly attuned, could prove the panacea to the ills pestering the rural sector.Application of cluster method to rural enterprises has to be envisioned in quite a different manner from that in the context of urban enterprises. The texture of talent, the temper of people, the tenor of outlook are all swathed in the earthy rural aroma. Therefore our developmental methodology should be made to agree with the trend of their general temperament, if it is to click at all. Motivated by such considerations, nisiet is planning to propose a programme of rural enterprise development (RED) through cluster approach in handlooms and handicrafts sectors.
Research studies and documentation of experiences are quite essential to developing a strategy for RED through cluster development. A validation workshop needs to be conducted to share experience and outlook with other agencies, within the country and abroad.If this strategy stands proven, it will accelerate the pace of economic growth development of the nation. This will mateiralise mainly through a burgeoning ruralsector.
enterprise sector, by promoting traditional industries, informal sector and service enterprises through either natural or induced clusters promoted through proper planning and a properly guided vision.The advantages of cluster approach to rural enterprise promotion are many: the industries fading into extinction can be resuscitated; eco friendly enterprises based on nonconventional energy sources can be supported; development of potential human resource in rural areas through rural clusters. Development of infrastructure, communication facilities, etc., in rural areas can be achieved through cluster method. The application of cluster concept to rural development will accomplish improved standard of living among rural populace, improvement in other social services like education, health, nutrition and hygiene, technical education for manpower supply to enterprises. Over and above all these, implementation of cluster method in rural context will remedy many long-festering social maladies such as child labour, bonded labour, child marriages, gender discrimination, and other superstitions through awareness creation, all of which will become visible in the form of improved quality of life and enhanced income mobilisation in rural areas through rural enterprise promotion.And through all this, nisiet will guide, counsel, facilitate, handhold in short, it will shine the torch and be the beacon. I envisage the unstinted cooperation of all stakeholders in this onerous project.
July 2005
In the current world climate where the term ‘global village’ can be heard popping into table talk and casual conversation, internationalisation assumes an added significance. Relations of mutuality and friendliness between countries, geographically far apart even, is nothing new. History bears witness to it: trade, knowledge and culture have always been prime commodities of exchange even several millennia before. What frequently goes by the name of ‘understanding’ or ‘agreement’ between countries is only a modified modernised version of that ancient practice,and acquires importance for both the countries concerned, and also to the observers in the wings sometimes.
Viewed against this backdrop, the recent Indo-Sri Lankan Joint Committee Meeting, held during 7-9 July 2005 in New Delhi, takes on an aspect of interest as well as of importance. It is especially and more so in the light of the existing MoU between the two countries, signed in June 2004. I had the privilege of attending the meeting on behalf of nisiet.
The meet was convened by the Secretary, MoSSI, Govt. of India, mainly to address the various issues concerning mutual cooperation in the SSI sector. The meet focused on the items contained in Article-I of the MoU. The provisions of the MoU gave importance to strengthening bilateral relations through partnership projects on enterpriseto- enterprise basis and institution-to-institution basis, research and consultancy involving especially managerial skill development, developing contacts between the small entrepreneurs of the two countries in products and projects, marketing promotion of SSI products and projects in each other’s countries through trade fairs and exhibitions, exchange of business missions for technology transfer and sustainable business alliances between the enterprises of the two countries. The discussions in the present meet covered most of these issues.
Promotion of SME sector as a vehicle of economic growth of developing countries, more particularly of Sri Lanka, featured prominently in the discussions. nisiet has offered its expertise in the areas of training, research and consultancy services for SME promotion to Sri Lanka, as also to undertake potential surveys.
I took this opportunity to invite the Sri Lanka delegates to visit nisiet to witness the facilities and the physical infrastructure obtaining at the campus, to acquaint themselves with the activities and programmes of the Institute and to meet our faculty of experts. The visit, when it takes places, will be mutually beneficial.
Always abreast of current trends and needs vis-à-vis the SME sector, nisiet is now involved in a big way with the promotion and implementation of cluster development approach among the SME units. Cluster method is now being perceived as the panacea for the economic maladies of the developing and the less developed countries. The method has been tested and proven in the developed European countries like Italy. When the Sri Lanka delegates visit the Institute, they will also have an opportunity to have a first-hand glimpse of nisiet’s cluster development initiatives as also to make a tour of the nearby clusters, which will enable them to understand the operational mechanism and the advantages of cluster approach.
The Sri Lanka delegates showed a keen interest towards organising training programmes and initiating research studies with respect to small enterprises in their country. They expressed the opinion that India should share its rich experience in the promotion of SME sector with the developing and the less developed countries especially with those countries holding the promise and potential for the development of small enterprises.
nisiet ’s association with Sri Lanka is not new, not an event of today. We have rendered customised services to the Sri Lankan government in the past and therefore they are familiar with the many facets of nisiet’s expertise. Our programme on Enterprise Development and Government Effectiveness (EDGE), tailor-made for the Sri Lanka government is a landmark intervention.
I look forward with enthusiasm and expectation to a fruitful future association between nisiet and the Sri Lanka government.
August 2005
The one-week training programme on Micro-Enterprise, Micro-Finance, and Marketing of Rural Products,3-M Model, organised in Yogyakarta, Indonesia during 1-6 August was a hugely interesting event, which was also educative incidentally. I have been a resource faculty for this programme at the invitation of the Non Aligned Movement-Centre for South-South Technical Cooperation (NAM-CSSTC) and the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP). My own long interface with enterprise promotion among a wide spectrum of social groups in India as also my association with nisiet as the CEO now and in other capacities earlier enabled me to acquit this responsibility honourably.
The main aim of the programme was to nurture the idea of micro enterprise among the potential entrepreneurs in the developing countries, by imparting motivational, mentoring and training skills and competencies to the officials of those countries concerned with enterprise promotion. However, the focus here was not merely the promotion of micro enterprise. The special feature of this intervention is that it proposes a synergic linkage between the three Ms of the programme as necessary for success and longevity of the enterprise. The modules were structured and the inputs presented from this perspective, one of the programme objectives being the imparting of skills, attitudes and behavioural attributes among the participants to equip them with competencies to counsel and guide the prospective entrepreneurs.
The programme had three modules, one each on micro enterprise, micro finance and marketing of rural products respectively. Among the inputs were motivational development, skill development, SHG approach, credit management and delivery system, group dynamics, team building, leadership, analysis of consumer behaviour and market research, and marketing strategies for rural products. Apart from the usual experience sharing discussions, presentations and lectures, simulation exercises, role play, group discussions and visits to project areas and enterprises were also included to provide insights into practical aspects of implementation. A new input on Micro Enterprise Development (MED) through cluster approach was also incorporated in the contents in view of the wide success and popularity of this approach in recent years.
Seventeen delegates from ten south-east Asian countries 'Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Laos PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam , participated in the programme. The delegates were formed into three smaller groups and each group was given a distinctive group task. At the end of the programme each group made a presentation on the task given to them. I shared with the delegates nisiet's EDP experience 'SME development, micro enterprise promotion, REDPs, cluster development and customised interventions.
The visit gave me the opportunity to interact with the top officials of NAM-CSSTC and CIRDAP. I discussed the possibilities of nisiet's collaboration with both these organisations. The programme unveiled enormous potential of unemployed youth in the developing countries which, properly harnessed, would give fillip to the growth of national economies of these countries through MED. Agriculture having reached the saturation point in most of these countries, there is a great demand for off-farm/non-farm livelihood generation, thus underlining the need and scope for MED. Micro enterprise is acknowledgedly a vibrant sector capable of realising considerably higher GDP growth rates with the help of training, hand-holding and follow-up.
I also shared with them the strides nisiet had made entrepreneurship development and our remarkable achievements in facilitating enterprise promotion in developing countries. The feedback on this programme having turned out to be quite encouraging and appreciative, nisiet may conduct several such programmes on customised basis in the developing countries, in collaboration with international organisations and the national organisations in those countries.
India having engaged the strategy of EDP and SME development for achieving the country's economic goals during the last twenty years, sharing the Indian SME experience with developing countries is both important and insightful. It is our duty/responsibility to our neighbours.
September 2005
To any country or region, handicrafts are the traditional heritage. The intricacy of craftsmanship,the quality of artistic imagination and the sophistication of execution and finish of a handmade artifact are the indicators of the degree of civilisation and the level of excellence of the hand and mind of the of the venerable forefathers of the particular ethnic group. The wisdom and knowledge of the unseen and unknown progenitors of the present generation have been immortalised in these crafts.
Our India has a rich heritage of traditional crafts – rich not only in the beauty of their art and craftsmanship but also in their wide ranging diversity. Each region has its own distinctive varieties of products and processes which lend colour and charm to both urban and rural styles of living. Our artisans are the keepers and guardians of this rich traditional heritage of ours.
While the talents of our artisans transport our hearts into higher domains of joy and swell with pride at our heritage,our joy and pride alone are not sufficient to the artisans’ survival. Most of them are trapped in conditions of such dire poverty that shall make us to think seriously plan for poverty reduction measures.
In spite of the fact that our handicrafts are much appreciated and find immense attraction with the people of the developed countries of Europe and America, the exports of our handicrafts had missed out on the take off point. Now, the post-WTO and post-globalisation regime with its advanced communication facilities opens up a whole new range of market possibilities to our handicrafts. Sensitive to the situation, the export promotion council of handicrafts (EPCH), Government of India has drawn up an extensive plan to promote the sector in a big way over the next 2 to 5 years.
The plan is based on the proven method of cluster approach and envisages setting up 20 new handicrafts clusters and 6 handicrafts parks on the lines of Tiruppur apparel park, besides a massive increase in the investment in the sector.The development commissioner of handicrafts, Government of India has entrusted the chalking out of implementation modalities of the plan to three organisations, of which nisiet is one.
nisiet will prepare a viable business plan for the 20 proposed clusters and submit it to the ministry. Along with it nisiet will also submit a proposal offering escort services – handholding, mentoring and monitoring – to promote the new clusters and put them on their feet.
Two points are kept in mind while drawing the proposal: first,to develop our handicraft artisans into entrepreneurs both at individual level and as a group; next, to eliminate the ubiquitous middleman from the whole process. Once the artisan is equipped with necessary business and managerial skills with the committed support of government agencies and NGOs, both these will be automatically taken care of. The cluster approach will prove highly beneficial to the artisans in more than one respect. It will enable them to improve and maintain their product quality which will give them strength to face the global competition on equal footing. This will ease up the process of their entry into export markets. Further, cluster approach will, through its inherent factor of collective strength, prove an advantage in procuring raw materials, obtaining loans and give an edge in bargaining. The artisans will also get the most needed exposure for their products through exhibitions, fairs and other such platforms, both at national and international levels.
While preparing the blueprint for implementation of the EPCH plan, the plan endeavour to give a significant boost to exports is also kept in view: the world market for handicrafts exports is estimated to be $ 235 billion, of which India claims at present a miniscule share of $ 2.98 billion. The EPCH plan envisages to raise it to $ 9.1 billion by the end of the present decade (2009-10).
Not able to withstand the on-rush of technological sophistication, many of our traditional crafts have already faded into oblivion as the artisans could no longer make a sustainable livelihood for themselves and their families through their venerable heritage. To protect our heritage is our duty to our history and to our posterity, therefore we need to broach this matter of livening up our handicrafts – what is left of them – with a spirit of dedication and commitment.
In the final analysis, no single concept separately is probably capable of resolving the crisis in the sector. We have to look at the matter in a holistic perspective and product-wise.
October 2005
If we take stock of the events of the past few weeks or months or even years, we would be shocked to notice how turbulent and violent the times have come to be. The very air that we breathe, the sounds that pervade the atmosphere surrounding us, the news that we read – everything that is capable of animation in short – have become rudely painful. This is true of both the native land and the planet earth. It is as though the quality ‘gentle’ has become near extinct, a mere fiction; as though human nature – and contiguously mother nature – have metamorphosed into fury. In this climate the words ‘peace’ and ‘agents of peace’ are immensely soothing.
The United Nations Organisation (UNO) is perhaps the most widely known international agency that strives to promote peace, prosperity and develop
