A capacity building training programme on food processing for both entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs from SC/ST communities was held at 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, Government of India, New Delhi.
The first training scheduled here recently was inaugurated by Kokila A., Head, National SC-ST Hub, Regional Office, Bengaluru. Speaking on the occasion, she said the Hub had been formed to encourage SC/ST entrepreneurs and it has been helping them since 2017.
Highlighting the opportunities available, she said that “only 0.5 per cent of the reserved 4 per cent quota for procurement from SC/ST producers is being utilised by public sector units. NSSH had been formed to address this problem.”
“The NSSH will be there to hand hold the entrepreneurs after the training for helping with financing, marketing and management of enterprises,” she said and urged the entrepreneurs to make best use of the opportunity.
K.S.M.S. Raghavarao, Director, CSIR-CFTRI, in 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, aspiring as well as the existing entrepreneurs who want to expand and diversify,” he said.
Entrepreneurship is not a cakewalk, but a journey on the untrodden path and hence has its failures, he opined. “CSIR-CFTRI would like to work towards establishing a SC/ST industry hub in and around Mysuru,” he added.
V.D. Nagaraju, Chief Scientist, CFTRI, and Shivaswamy, President, CFTRI SC/ST Employees’ Association, also spoke. Ajay Tumaney, Principal Scientist, and Vijayanand, Chief Scientist, CFTRI, were present.
The training programme was offered free of cost to the candidates and is funded by NSSH. In the first programme 24 participants took part.
