Over 100 entrepreneurs get tips on financial stability, outsourcing

More than 100 existing and aspiring entrepreneurs from the SC and ST communities participated in an Entrepreneur Awareness and Special Vendor Development Programme organised at the I K Gujral Polytechnic University campus on Wednesday.

The programme was organised by the National SC-ST Hub (NSSH) under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) to create awareness about government initiatives and help SC-ST entrepreneurs access public procurement opportunities.

The participants were briefed about the NSSH scheme and the Public Procurement Policy, under which Central Ministries, departments and Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) have a mandated procurement target of 4 per cent from SC-ST enterprises.

Aspiring entrepreneurs were informed about the importance of registering their enterprises on the Udyam portal, while existing entrepreneurs received information on vendor registration procedures, required documentation, products procured by CPSEs, the e-tendering process, credit facilities and subsidy schemes available through banks.

The programme also facilitated interaction among entrepreneurs, CPSEs, MSME officials, financial institutions and other agencies supporting the MSME sector.

Technical sessions included presentations by representatives of MSMEs, banks, CPSEs and the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) on financial assistance, vendor empanelment and other services available to entrepreneurs.

Those who participated in the programme included Sahil Shama, Senior Trainer, GeM, Chandigarh, Krishan Kumar, Assistant Director, MSME-DFO, Ludhiana, Avinash Kumar, MM, FCI, Amritsar, and Aparna Sharma, Lead District Manager, Punjab National Bank, Amritsar.