Barefoot managers to assist micro units

If the state government has its way, Orissa may soon recruit “bare foot managers” to provide various expert services to the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state.

The state government has coined this term- "bare foot managers", as the recruits would be drawn from youths with an ordinary background, preferably a graduate in any discipline, to handle multiple services ranging from accounting to administration and supervison for MSMEs.

Unlike a suave B-school graduate, these managers would be required to move in the rural and semi-urban areas asissting the MSMEs in preparation of project profile, project evaluation, formulation of training, training-counseling, skill development and entrepreneurship development

To equip these youths to render these services, the Institute of Entrepreneurship Development (IED), the nodal agency of the Orissa government for this project, has decided to partner with the Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMT) to impart requisite training to them. IED has applied to the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for financial assistance to impelment the scheme.

“The micro and small units lack the financial capability to engage experts to run their units. We intend to train a group of unemployed youths who will provide these services to the MSMEs at a nominal cost”, said Panchanan Dash, special secretary, industry department. This will also throw up a lot of job opportunity for educated un-employed in the state, he added Sources said, first a survey will be conducted to assess the requirement of the micro and small units. Then people will be groomed to render the services required by these units.

Meanwhile, IED has proposed to the Union ministry of food processing for setting up of 3 food processing training centres (FPTCs) in the state. It has already identified locations in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Jagatsinghpur for these centres.

The Union government will give the necessary money which will be spent on creating infrastructural facilities for processing of farm produce.

FPTCs are proposed to be developed in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode. While the state government will provide the required infrastructure for setting up of these centres, their day to day operation and maintenance will be entrusted to a private agency. About 30-40 entrepreneurs will be imparted training on food processing in each of these centers. While IED will manage the three centres initially, private partners will be roped in at a later stage when more centres are opened. For the multi-product food processing training centres, the ministry of food processing will provide Rs 25 lakh as assistance towards the cost of machineries. The minimum investment in each centre including the cost of machineries is pegged at Rs 50 lakh, sources added.