Industries Minister Inaugurates Programme To Train Business Development Service Providers To Support MSME’s

Thiruvananthapuram, June 25: Minister for Law, Industries and Coir Shri P. Rajeeve inaugurated the state-level training programme for Business Development Service Providers (BDSPs) as part of the Reinforcing and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) project at Institute of Management in Government (IMG) here today.

The training for the BDSPs was conducted by the Kerala Institute of Entrepreneurship Development (KIED).

Shri. APM Mohammed Hanish IAS, Principal Secretary (Industries); Shri. Vishnuraj P., IAS, Director of Industries and Commerce; Shri Rajeev G , Additional Director of Industries and Commerce; Shri Sharath V.S, General Manager (i/c), DIC Thiruvananthapuram; and Shri Saji S, CEO, Kerala Institute for Entrepreneurship Development (KIED) attended the inaugural ceremony.

The Directorate of Industries and Commerce, Kerala has recruited 500 BDSPs on contract basis, as part of RAMP scheme of the Govt. of India.

They will be trained to provide a range of services to support and foster entrepreneurial activities at the local body level across the state.

BDSPs are responsible for effectively communicating the business- friendly policies formulated by Central and State government at the ground level.

By assigning BDSPs in Panchayats, Municipal Corporations and City Corporations, the government is ensuring that all help and support are made available to the prospective entrepreneurs.

World Bank-aided RAMP, aims at overall development and sustenance of MSME’s in the country.

The scheme was launched at the national level on June 30, 2022 and is being implemented over a period of five years under the aegis of the Union Ministry of MSME (MoMSME).

Some of the major objectives of RAMP scheme are: to facilitate an easy market entry for MSME’s and to expand and create market for their products, to ensure loan availability for MSME’s, to ensure the Central-State Governments and their affiliated institutions are closely involved in the implementation of the scheme and encourage innovative ideas in

MSMEs, to increase communication among MSMEs, to promote the current trends and processes followed by MSMEs, to encourage green practices in startups etc.

The Ramp Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) submitted by State’s Industries Department received the Centre’s approval in January 2024 and the MSME Ministry sanctioned a grant of Rs. 107.71 crore for the implementation of projects under the scheme. The state government also allotted Rs. 37.07 Crores for the scheme.

The comprehensive RAMP project covers components like DPR assistance for Mission 1000 units, handholding for MSMEs through business executives, import substitution studies and strategic plan preparation, MSME-technology clinics and training programs.

The planning and implementation of the project began in January this year under the leadership of the State Directorate of Industries and Commerce.