Panaji (Goa) : Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday emphasised Goa's vision of becoming a leading entrepreneurship hub in the country through a series of innovative programs, said an official release.
The Chief Minister was speaking at the 1st anniversary celebrations of the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Goa Centre, and the 50th anniversary of EDC Limited.
Marking the occasion, he highlighted the success of the Chief Minister Rozgar Yojana (CMRY) scheme, stating, "Under the CMRY scheme, over 8,000 beneficiaries have received support worth Rs 300 crore, while MSME term loans have empowered over 13,000 businesses with Rs 4,100 crore across the state".
Over the past year, the institute has trained and mentored about 1,500 entrepreneurs through key programs like the Entrepreneurship Awareness Program (EAP), Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP), and Management Entrepreneurship Development Program (MEDP), training them in business skills in marketing, law, finance, etc.
The entrepreneurs are extended government funding by Goa's CMRY scheme, which offers 2 per cent interest loans, covering up to 95 per cent of project costs for ventures up to Rs 25 lakh. During the event, CM Pramod Sawant inaugurated the EDII Goa website and unveiled souvenirs celebrating the institute's achievements over the past year.Expressing his gratitude, CM Dr. Sawant said, "I thank the Chief Minister of Gujarat for permitting EDII to establish a center in Goa, which will further boost entrepreneurial growth in the state."
The Goa government has announced new initiatives to further empower existing businesses. The Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) initiative provides Business Management Training (BMT) to MSMEs while transforming 1,600 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) into MSMEs (TSM). The Centre looks forward to collaborating with more government departments with the support of the Government of Goa. It is notable that all programs are fully sponsored or subsidised by the Government of Goa.