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Dimapur, Dec. 14 (EMN): A business development programme, “state-level vendor development programme” for Schedule Tribe and Schedule Caste entrepreneurs, was conducted on Friday in Dimapur.
The event was organised by the Nagaland Industrial Development Corporation (NIDC) in collaboration with the department of Industries & Commerce, and the Business Association of Nagas (BAN) as part of the National SC-ST Hub Scheme of the ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises.
The BAN issued a press release to the media on Saturday giving details about the programme.
Speaking in the inaugural function was the special guest of the event, K Hokishe Assumi, director for Industries & Commerce department. The updates stated that he expressed appreciation for the NIDC and the BAN for organising the event “which is first of its kind in Nagaland.”
The official urged budding entrepreneurs to “scale up from single level to cluster level” to meet the supply chain demand. Assumi was stated to have assured that the “government is always there to support the entrepreneurs.”
The government servant urged the entrepreneurs to ‘start innovative businesses rather than copy paste and develop sustainable business models,’ the updates stated.
In his keynote address to the event, the deputy director of the ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, Tali Longchar mentioned “the good news” that a directorate of the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises exclusively for Nagaland will be inaugurated shortly in Dimapur.
Longchar mentioned that in January 2020, every district will organize exhibitions, trade fairs, workshops and seminars and a budget of INR 10 to 20 lakh per district has been allocated for it.
The official also explained about the central public procurement portal and government e-marketplace or GeM. He said that entrepreneurs must equip themselves with digital know-how to be competitive, the updates stated.
The president of the BAN, Vitho Zao, also addressed the event, the updates stated. The BAN has around 400 members. It is a young association comprising doctors, engineers, business graduates and other professionals who wish to learn more about the government’s schemes, policies and procurement procedures, he said. The BAN leader was stated to have requested the government to conduct more programs such as the vendor development programme in the future.
Temjenyanger Jamir, manager at NIDC, also addressed the event. Speaking at the inaugural session of the programme, he said the vendor development programme has been organised in line with the Public Procurement Policy of 2012 with the core importance given to SC/ST entrepreneurs, the updates stated.
He said that the development programme is an “awareness programme to create linkage of SC/ST entrepreneurs with the central ministries and CPSUs in the procurement of Goods and Services,” the press release stated.