THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Dhanbad, March 9: The Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, has launched a three-day Capacity Building Programme on High-Quality Millet Cultivation and Digital Marketing Integration aimed at strengthening millet-based entrepreneurship among tribal women.
The programme, running from March 9 to March 11, is being organised by the Department of Management Studies & Industrial Engineering under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of Coal India Limited.
Participants include tribal women entrepreneurs from Salma Gram Panchayat in Saltora Block of Bankura district, West Bengal.
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Focus on sustainable agri-enterprise
The initiative seeks to promote sustainable agri-enterprise development by providing practical training in millet cultivation, enterprise development, financial linkages, climate-smart agricultural practices and digital marketing platforms.
The programme is being led by Prof Niladri Das and Prof Rashmi Singh, who are guiding participants through sessions designed to strengthen entrepreneurial skills and improve market access.
Training on financial support and government schemes
The first day focused on enterprise scaling and financial linkages, helping participants understand strategies for expanding millet-based businesses in a structured and sustainable manner.
The session was facilitated by Sumit Layek, who highlighted government support schemes and financial opportunities available for rural and tribal entrepreneurs.
Participants were introduced to several key government initiatives including:
- PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme (PMFME)
- Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI)
- National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM)
- Support mechanisms offered by NABARD
Practical tools for business growth
Training sessions also covered practical aspects such as cluster-based production and marketing strategies, integration with Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), digital bookkeeping for small enterprises, and performance monitoring tools to track business growth.
A key highlight of the day was an interactive group exercise where participants developed a “Millet Enterprise Growth Plan”, outlining financial projections and strategies for expanding their businesses.
The session concluded with a reflection and feedback discussion facilitated by the IIT-ISM team.
The training programme is being implemented with the support of a dedicated team comprising Rohit Singh, Nilesh Kumar, Sumana Banerjee and Amrita Puri, who are coordinating the sessions and assisting the participating entrepreneurs.