The Department of Industries and Commerce has completed two major MSME and entrepreneurship programmes under RAMP.
DIMAPUR — The Department of Industries and Commerce, under the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) programme, has completed two major capacity-building and entrepreneurship development initiatives aimed at strengthening the state's Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) ecosystem and promoting entrepreneurship among educated unemployed youth.
Under the Capacity Building Programme for 18,000 MSMEs, a total of 192 workshops were conducted across all 17 districts of Nagaland, covering more than 21,000 MSMEs.
According to an update, the programme comprised 57 Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme workshops and 135 specialised capacity-building workshops covering financial literacy, legal and statutory compliance, business management, digital and social media marketing, customer engagement, innovation, social responsibility, and communication skills.
Women constituted a significant share of the programme, with 11,445 women MSMEs trained. The initiative also recorded the participation of 236 MSMEs owned or represented by persons with disabilities (PwDs), while overall PwD participation across categories stood at 584.
A follow-up assessment indicated the application of programme learnings across areas such as financial management, digital payments, customer engagement, communication, business planning, and compliance.
Among 4,466 valid responses, 66.6 per cent reported an increase in income from self-employment, while 9.7 per cent reported expansion of their existing businesses. These findings are participant-reported and indicate enterprise-level progression following the capacity-building programme.
Complementing the statewide MSME capacity-building initiative, the Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) focused on introducing educated unemployed youth to entrepreneurship and self-employment as viable livelihood and career opportunities.
Also read: Ao Senden calls off agitation in Mokokchung after fulfilment of demands
A total of 12 EDP workshops were completed, reaching over 483 participants. The workshops were conducted across Dimapur, Chümoukedima, Kohima, Mokokchung, Wokha, Zunheboto, Tuensang, and Mon.
The EDP curriculum provided practical exposure to entrepreneurship, business opportunity identification, market research, business planning, marketing and SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, bookkeeping, government support schemes, enterprise management, networking, communication, branding, and digital tools. Learning activities included startup ideation, preparation of basic business plans, budgeting exercises, cashbook practice, case studies, networking exercises, and group assessments.
RAMP is a World Bank-supported Government of India programme aimed at strengthening the MSME ecosystem.
Launched in Nagaland on August 27, 2024, it is implemented by the Department of Industries and Commerce through targeted MSME and entrepreneurship interventions. The Capacity Building and Entrepreneurship Development initiatives were implemented with EduNorth East Pvt. Ltd. and Schoolnet India Limited as implementation partners.