Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP)

In News

• Recently, the Rural Ministry has tied up with the National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) for village level entrepreneurship programmes.
  • NIESBUD is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).

About

• They have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a sustainable model for promoting entrepreneurship.
• It will be done at the grass roots by initiating the ‘start-up village entrepreneurship programme’ (SVEP).

Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP)

• Implementation: 
  • It is implemented by Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana –National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Ministry of Rural Development. 
  • It acts as a sub scheme of the latter.
• Objective: 
  • To support the rural poor coming out of poverty, supporting them to set up enterprises and provide support till the enterprises stabilise, 
  • SVEP focuses on providing self-employment opportunities with 
    • financial assistance and training in business management and 
    • soft skills while creating local community cadres for promotion of enterprises.
• 3 major pillars of rural startups addressed:
  • Finances, 
  • Incubation and 
  • Skill ecosystems. 
• Key Areas:
  • To develop a pool of community resource persons – enterprise promotion (CRP-EP) who are local and support entrepreneurs setting-up rural enterprises. 
  • To promote the block resource centre (BRC) in SVEP blocks, 
  • To monitor and manage the community resource persons, appraise SVEP loan applications and act as the repository of enterprise related information in the concerned block. 
  • BRCs play the role to support a sustainable revenue model to operate effectively and independently.
• SHG Involvement:
  • The beneficiaries of the project are from the self-help group (SHG) ecosystem of DAY-NRLM and the scheme not only supports existing enterprises but new enterprises as well.
• Market facilitation:
  • Establishing these local markets has motivated SVEP entrepreneurs to take up demand based production, advertise their enterprise and increase earning opportunities. 

Image Courtesy: Info 

Significance

• Easy set up:
  • The partnership will enable the rural community by helping them set up their trades and provide complete support till they are stabilised, said a statement from MSDE.
• Access to banking system: 
  • The rural entrepreneurs will be able to access banking systems for receiving financial support for starting their enterprises, including support from MUDRA bank.
• Training: 
  • Integrated ICT techniques and tools will also be provided for training and capacity building along with enterprise advisory services to augment the entrepreneurship ecosystem in India’s villages.
• Innovation: 
  • SVEP will help create an innovative ecosystem, accelerating economic and social gains at the community level.
• Economic development: 
  • Rural entrepreneurship can play a significant role in the overall economic development of India. 
• Employment:
  • A huge number of employment opportunities can be generated because of rural entrepreneurship for the people who are living in rural or remote geographies.
• Protecting heritage:
  • The old-age artistic heritage has also been conserved by protecting as well as promoting the rural entrepreneurship

COVID 19 and SVEP

• Face masks produced by these women SHGs have been the most successful product during the Covid-19 lockdown period involving 2.96 lakh SHG members (59 thousand SHGs) which has produced 23.37 crore face masks in almost 150 days generating an estimated business volume of Rs. 357 crore and are being supplied to masses through government procurement.
• Some of the women SHGs were involved in running community kitchens, serving cooked meals to over 5.72 crore vulnerable community members. 

Conclusion

• India is a land of opportunities and by helping our youth access these prospects, we are catering to their aspirations.
• The scheme will build an inclusive society by providing equal opportunities to all along with the required financial support. 

Source: LM