Inauguration of the programme

A capacity building training on food processing for both entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs from SC-ST communities was held in the Mysuru based CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI). The programme was a collaboration of CSIR-CFTRI with the National SC-ST Hub (NSSH), Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India, New Delhi. 

The first training during 6 January 2020 to 13 January 2020 was inaugurated by Ms Kokila, A., Head, National SC-ST Hub, Regional Office, Bengaluru. Speaking on the occasion, she said that “National SC-ST Hub is formed to encourage SC-ST entrepreneurs, and since 2017 has been helping the SC-ST entrepreneurs.”

Highlighting the opportunities available for SC-ST entrepreneurs, she said that “only 0.5% of the reserved 4% quota for procurement from SC-ST producers is being utilised by the Public Sector Units”.  NSSH has been formed to address this problem of low-procurement by Public Sector Units from SC-ST manufacturers. “The NSSH will be there to handhold the entrepreneurs after the training, for helping with financing, marketing and management of enterprises,” she said and urged the entrepreneurs to go out and face the world. 

Dr KSMS Raghavarao, Director, CSIR-CFTRI, during his address, highlighted the efforts of the Institute in capacity building in the food processing sector. “CSIR-CFTRI has designed the training programme keeping in mind the budding, the aspiring as well as the existing entrepreneurs who want to expand and diversify,” he said.  

Recalling the words of Dr B.R. Ambedkar that the SC-ST community were job seekers because they did not own lands, he said “entrepreneurship will change all that – they need not only be job seekers but can also be job givers and job creators”. Entrepreneurship is not a cakewalk, but is travel on an untrodden path and hence has its failures, he opined. “CSIR-CFTRI would like to work towards establishing an SC-ST industry hub in and around Mysuru,” he said. 

Dr Vijayanand, Chief Scientist, CFTRI, presented the vote of thanks.

In the first programme, 24 participants participated in the programme. The training programmes were offered free of cost to the candidates and were funded by NSSH. 

A.S.K.V.S. Sharma, Coordinator, Information & Publicity, CSIR-CFTRI