Rajiv Gandhi Udyami Mitra Yojana

RAJIV GANDHI UDYAMI MITRA YOJANA (A Scheme of Promotion and Handholding of Micro and Small Enterprises ) 1. Background 1.1. World over, micro and small enterprises (MSEs) are recognized as an important/constituent of the national economies, contributing significantly to employment expansion and poverty alleviation. Recognizing the importance of micro and small enterprises, which constitute an important segment of Indian economy in terms of their contribution to country s industrial production, exports, employment and creation of entrepreneurial base, the Central and State Governments have been implementing several schemes and programmes for promotion and development of these enterprises. 1.2. The small scale industries in India, including the tiny or micro industries and service/business entities, collectively referred as micro and small enterprises (MSEs), have a long history of promoting inclusive, spatially widespread and employment-oriented economic growth. In terms of employment generation, this segment is next only to agriculture. 1.3. Entrepreneurship development and training is one of the key elements for development and promotion of micro and small enterprises, particularly, the first generation entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship Development Programmes (EDPs) of various durations are being organized on regular basis by a number of organizations e.g. national and state level Entrepreneurship Development Institutes (EDIs), Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Institutes (MSMEDIs) [earlier known as Small Industries Service Institutes (SISIs)], national and state level Industrial Development Corporations, Banks and other training institutions/agencies in private and public sector etc., to create new entrepreneurs by cultivating their latent qualities of entrepreneurship and enlightening them on various aspects necessary for setting up micro and small enterprises. Besides, various Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), other private training...