figure 2: edss enterprise package work book: a work book

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Figure 2: EDSS Enterprise Package Work Book: A Work Book has been introduced in EDSS. The workbook strives to raise simple questions on entrepreneurship development and also motivates the trainees to attempt answers to these questions as well. The workbook covers all aspects of Enterprise Development including those of sales and marketing, accounting, advertising and product promotion; and financing and working capital management.

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8. RBM and Capacity Building: A significant Capacity Building and Training driven Project; the EDSS appears to have imparted to its proponents strong conviction and change management methods. Consequently the team of mobilizers, District Managers and Project Managers are reasonably driven and self-motivated to promote the concept of EDSS and setting up of `business’ by the rural youth. The Tara Gurus, who run the Tara Kendras also have been imparted training program on EDSS and on overall goals of the project. Tara Gurus and the project proponents have also been trained on two specialized EP modules of Natural recyclable waste-based Micro Concrete Roofing (MCR) Tiles and the Broiler based small scale poultry farming; so that they are in a position to resolve the queries of the participants.

The RBM deployed by NISG in the project implementation has proven to be a reliable, effective self-planning, monitoring and evaluation tool based on a results framework. The RBM team has been visiting EDSS (frequency could not be established) for collecting monitoring and evaluation data collection and consolidation.

Combined with RBM, NISGs leadership role in capacity building of the ICTD project proponents, knowledge sharing and technical support is noteworthy. Site visits to different ICTD pilots, frequent knowledge sharing workshops have indeed built a vibrancy and a road ahead for the future.

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9. Implementation Challenges and Limitations: The Project team has been maintaining close relationship with the prospective entrepreneurs who have undergone the program. They have tried to help the promoters to best of their ability; however they have not been able to overcome inherent drawback in the project design and implementation itself of the lack of institutional support from the established Govt. decentralized machinery. This is an extremely arduous task given high degree of corruption, lack of transparency and accountability in the Govt. machinery. However these are hard choices that a project such as EDSS needs to overcome. Promoting entrepreneurship or consolidating existing entrepreneurship has been an integral component of various Centrally sponsored schemes and also of the State Govt. schemes. The schemes such as Swarna Jayanti Grameen Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY) and various others promote entrepreneurship development and also credit disbursal to the Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and to the existing promoters through small collateral guarantee. The project unfortunately appears to have worked in isolation and has not integrated its efforts sufficiently with the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and also with the lead District Rural Development Banks. Difficulties in accessing credit for the prospective entrepreneurs and procedural difficulties were cited as reasons for the lack of integration. However the Lalitpur District RRB data does not show evidence of such difficulties viz. in the Lalitpur District out of 2895 SHG account opened; to 905 accounts credit cash limit was given and 540 accounts were financed.

Community interactions highlighted that a major impediment to entrepreneur development in rural communities was the lack of transparency, faced by the average rural entrepreneur, in financing a start up or in acquiring funds to finance expansion.

Due to obvious difficult process of availing from the Lead Banks and Govt. programmes; some Project personnel have been working with private financers. However the private financers due to high interest rates and exploitative loan recovery processes adopted; would ultimately cause lot of difficulties for the youth in their quest for entrepreneurship. Regardless of the difficulties encountered with the Govt. schemes and Govt. loans; sincere and committed efforts need to be made by the Project to enlist support of these Institutions.

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10. Sustainability: The Project proponents have expressed lot of confidence in ensuring Project sustainability even beyond ICTD project cycle. The confidence emanates from the basket of offerings for the rural youth, high quality content; but significantly their linkage with the Private sector and the unmet demand for quality products and services in the rural areas. However based on extensive mapping of Private sector linked market opportunities; these are at best short term highly need based opportunities for the rural youth and they cannot draw any long term sustenance from the organized private sector opportunities; hence the goal of self-entrepreneurship development by EDSS is indeed laudable. Until and unless; the project establishes strong linkages with the Skills Initiatives of the Govt. and the Rural Self-employment schemes of the MoRD and others; long term institutional sustainability of EDSS may remain in jeopardy.

Revenue model: Based on the work done till date the following sources of revenue may

enable the EDSS programme to be sustainable over the long run.

• Training Fees and support charges • Advertisement & Sponsorships • Fees to suppliers / vendors of enterprises set up • Consultancy fees to TARAguru (entrepreneur mentor) • User Charges for web based support services • Revenue share from entrepreneur's product/service marketed

through the network of TARAhaat's kiosks.

Technical sustainability of the Project may not remain a challenge due to excellent content developed and delivery mechanism adopted.

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11. Replication:

If the Project design lacunae highlighted above are overcome; the project would have enormous replication possibilities. A major reason for the EDSS replication possibilities emerge also from the web based system strategy is the need for all system solutions to scale as the network and services expand. A core component of this is the off-line – on-line synchronisation between the centres and the web based system that will be used online where connectivity allows it; is an excellent replication strategy.

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12. Project outcomes:

Technology outcomes: ICT enabled Capacity building tools can be a noteworthy supplement to the classical class room form of training. A tested and operational Enterprise Development Service using blended learning techniques (mix of CBT and face-to-face learning) is well established with EDSS launch. Social and empowerment outcomes: The project seeks to strengthen existing gaps in the mind sets of the rural youth by motivating them towards self-enterprise development. While EDSS has to still develop linkages in the areas of finance and governance with the existing institutions through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) successfully; at least it puts in place a mechanism as part of the Enterprise Development Service that will lead to more transparent and responsive policies and services in the long term. Entrepreneurship will have a substantial impact on the standard of living of the entrepreneurs’ families, typically enhancing their health, education levels and providing a safety net. The wealth they create will have a trickle down effect within the local community over a period of time. Equally, successful entrepreneurs will act as role models for others to follow.

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13. Key Lessons Learnt:

The project seeks to strengthen existing gaps in the mind sets of the rural youth by motivating them towards self-enterprise development.

There appears to be acceptance of the products developed within the EDSS programme by both potential and existing entrepreneurs; due to vast unemployment and under-employment that exists in the backward Bundelkhand region. The Project team has been maintaining close relationship with the prospective entrepreneurs who have undergone the program. They have tried to help the promoters to best of their ability; however they have not been able to overcome inherent drawback in the project design and implementation itself. Promoting entrepreneurship or consolidating existing entrepreneurship has been an integral component of various Centrally sponsored schemes and also of the State Govt. schemes. The schemes such as Swarna Jayanti Grameen Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY) and various others promote entrepreneurship development and also credit disbursal to the Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and to the existing promoters through small collateral guarantee. The project unfortunately appears to have worked in isolation and has not integrated its efforts sufficiently with the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and also with the lead District Rural Development Banks.

Given the severity of this concern amongst established and potential entrepreneurs, DA/TARAhaat of late appears to work on actively developing relationships with local financing institutions. Presentations were made to senior local banking mangers. Based on the products and services offered by the EDSS programme, and the role of DA / TARAhaat in developing and delivering the service, some managers were not only willing to attend training sessions to discuss how financial institutions approach the granting of loans and evaluate credit worthiness, but also offered assistance to the qualified individuals in obtaining financing for eligible businesses.

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14. Issues and Challenges & Recommendations: The sustainability of the fledgling enterprise proposed to be established by the prospective entrepreneur, however is doubtful given the imbalance in the demand and supply. The demand for the broiler-chicken appears to be more or less stagnant due to supply glut. The entrepreneurs need to think about newer markets and innovative marketing strategies for the broiler-chicken. This applies for other trades as well; consequently the market dynamics and the necessity for having forward-backward market linkages in any Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Development programs have to be borne in mind at the project design itself. A systematic market survey and demand-supply assessment needs to be carefully made before the roll-out of any such program. .The impact of the discrete Enterprise Packages (EPs) could have been more, if the integration with the existing decentralized Rural Development and Banking Machinery could have been attempted more seriously; regardless of the hurdles and delays. The needs of specific unserved demographic segments of the rural communities cannot be addressed effectively in any manner without effective consolidation and aggregation around these Institutions. Infact ICT enabled development would be faster and more pervasive, if this integration happens effectively across all UNDP-Govt. of India projects.

The branding of NISG-UNDP-Govt. of India also needs to be carefully incorporated in all documentation, collaterals and signages.

ICT enabled Capacity building tools can be a noteworthy supplement to the classical class room form of training. A tested and operational Enterprise Development Service using blended learning techniques (mix of CBT and face-to-face learning) is well established with EDSS launch.

figure 2: edss enterprise package work book: a work book

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