NONGPOH, Aug 14: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has underscored the role of entrepreneurship in driving sustainable development in the state.
He bet big on the state’s entrepreneurs while inaugurating the PRIME Hub and a pineapple processing unit in Ri-Bhoi district’s Umdihar village on Monday.
Sangma said the journey to the PRIME Hub began with the Chief Minister’s Entrepreneurship Award in 2018, which aimed to recognise and support young entrepreneurs in the state. The award carried Rs 1 lakh each for entrepreneurs to stimulate economic activity and innovation.
He emphasised the symbiotic relationship between the private and public sectors, clarifying that by public he meant the general people and not just the government. These sectors must actively participate in the economic endeavours of the nation or state for sustainable development, he said.
Sangma elaborated on the rationale behind the PRIME (Promotion and Incubation of Market-driven Enterprises) programme to focus on fostering entrepreneurship and business growth. He broadened the notion of entrepreneurship to include ventures beyond traditional business and industry, such as individual shops, self-help groups engaged in food processing and packaging, and integrated village cooperative societies.
The PRIME programme acts as a platform to provide essential support, including training, financing, marketing, and packaging assistance, to empower entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into successful enterprises, he said. The Chief Minister cited the establishment of the first PRIME Centre in Shillong, which has aided about 3,400 entrepreneurs so far.
He also elaborated on the Chief Minister’s E-Challenge programme, an annual business plan competition that nurtures innovation and offers substantial cash rewards and interest-free loans to the top 100 participants. These entrepreneurs receive guidance from skilled agencies and institutions such as IIM Kolkata to refine their business strategies and operations.
Sangma hoped that the Umdihar Integrated Village Cooperative Society (IVCS) would effectively manage and oversee the PRIME Hub, imparting necessary guidance and support to local entrepreneurs. He revealed plans to introduce storage spaces for IVCS groups and highlighted the forthcoming construction of cold storage facilities.
Additionally, he shared the intention to establish community halls and facility centres across the state to broaden the impact of the PRIME initiative.
Sangma concluded by identifying Umsning and Ri-Bhoi as potential areas for a substantial logistic hub envisioned as a pivotal centre for exporting various products.
The event was attended by several dignitaries, including Umsning MLA Celestine Lyngdoh, Umsning MDC Macdalyne Sawkmie Mawlong, Ri-Bhoi deputy commissioner Arpit Upadhyaya, and the district’s SP Giri Prasad.
Also present were village leaders of Umdihar and other key stakeholders.
