EDII and IIM-Ranchi signed an MoU on May 22^nd, 2020 over Cisco Webex collaborate in order to orient more youths towards an entrepreneurial career.
 
The objective of this collaboration is to promote entrepreneurial thinking among students and thus innovative start-ups.  Under a partnership agreement, EDII will provide technical support in setting up IIM-Ranchi incubation centre at its Ranchi, Jharkhand campus so that innovative start up become the order of the day. Both the institutes will also jointly develop certificate courses on entrepreneurship development and skill enhancement. In addition, under student exchange and faculty development programmes, efforts will be made to build and strengthen an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Jharkhand and other neighbouring states. The collaboration will foster knowledge sharing, teaching, research and institutional support for both the Institutes.

According to Prof. Shailendra Singh, Director, IIM Ranchi, “At IIM Ranchi, we are committed to grooming leaders with value-based education. This partnership will help us get necessary technical support to create world class infrastructure and a stimulating environment for innovation and entrepreneurship not only for the students, but also for the community at large. The incubation centre will aim to create a pipeline and stage varying idea baskets by collaborating with key stakeholders. The centre will provide necessary impetus and intellectual basis for the initiative through its experience and expertise in the areas of management, innovation, strategy and entrepreneurship.”

Dr. Milin Kamble, Governing Body Member, EDII and Founder Chairman, Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DICCI) said, "I am happy that the two known institutions have come together to propagate entrepreneurship among students, who are the torch bearers of a happy tomorrow. EDII, with its domain expertise, network and expanse, will be able to ensure an appreciable spur in the process of New Enterprise Creation. Even DICCI is very active in Jharkhand with regard to offering a helping hand towards sustainable livelihood options for the tribal community. I am sure, while this will get a further boost, our youths will particularly get oriented towards higher-order achievements."

Considering the contribution of entrepreneurship in the growth of the economy, it is important to institutionalise efforts towards broadcasting this discipline. I am glad that the two institutions have joined hands to take up this cause. I look forward to seeing tangible outcomes. Also, a lot can be envisioned for tribal youths who have the potential but need a direction. So all in all, entrepreneurship needs to be encouraged across sections and sectors, which I guess will ensue from here with coordinated efforts by both the institutions. I look forward to policy advocacy in this direction too," said Praveen Shankar Pandya, Chairman, IIM-Ranchi.

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Jammu, and EDII,  Ahmedabad, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the IIM, Jammu campus, in presence of Dr Sunil Shukla, Director, EDII, Dr. B S Sahay, Director, IIM, Jammu, and Dr GM Dar, Director, J&K EDII. The objective of this MoU is to provide knowledge and support to the students and develop an  ecosystem to support budding start-ups. EDII will impart entrepreneurial orientation, training and motivation to the students so that an amalgamation of   entrepreneurial skills and their innovation bolsters the process of New Enterprise Creation.

The first day of July, 2019 marked the beginning of a new chapter for the 21^st batch of the students of EDII’s Academic Programmes 2019-2021. The EDII campus was overwhelmed with the enthusiasm of students, parents, faculty, staff and management. With a welcome address of the Acting Chairperson, PGP, Dr. Satya Ranjan Acharya, the students were inducted into the new batch of Post Graduate Diploma Programme in Management - Business Entrepreneurship. The programme witnessed participants from across India and even Nepal. 

The orientation commenced with Dr. Satya Ranjan Acharya introducing students to the curriculum and pedagogy adopted as a part of teaching. He congratulated the students on joining the batch and encouraged them to be open to the possibilities and take up every challenge that comes their way. He said, “This place will challenge you to and achieve your potential and create opportunities for your success with the support of committed faculty and mentors.” Post his speech, an ice breaking session was held where the students introduced themselves and shared their interests.
 

EDII successfully conducted its 20^th Annual Convocation of Academic Programmes on June 02, 2019. A total of 92 students were awarded diplomas. In Post Graduate Diploma Programme - Business Entrepreneurship (PGDM-BE),  79 students received diploma; in Post Graduate Diploma Programme - Development Studies (PGDM-DS), 13 students were conferred diplomas and in Fellow Programme in Management, 2 students weres awarded diploma.
 
The Chief Guest for the event, Padma Bhushan Shri Kris Gopalakrishnan, Co-founder Infosys and Chairman of Axilor Venture,s graced the occasion and shared his insights on the science and art of entrepreneurship. Crediting Entrepreneurship as the engine of global economic activity, Shri Gopalakrishnan spoke about its three important benefits:  increases productivity, spurs innovations and creates jobs.
 
"Entrepreneurship gives rise to startups that typically leverage on new technologies and have higher productivity than incumbents. Startups are disproportionately responsible for commercializing new innovations, particularly radical innovations that spawn entirely new markets or substantially disrupt existing markets. Startups scaling up are usually the leading net job creators. All of these are relevant for us in India currently. We need to improve productivity and create new jobs," said Shri Gopalakrishnan.


Giving the example of the software services industry, the Chief Guest highlighted India's ability to nurture world class industry transforming startups. In his message to the graduating students, he stressed catering to small and rural businesses in India. He said, " I hope some of you will start ventures that are relevant to small and rural businesses in India, something that EDII has been promoting for several decades now. Remember, there are plenty of opportunities to serve the needs of the under-served in India, what some call the “next billion users” in India."
 
 
Shri Rakesh Sharma, Founder Chairman, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer- IDBI Bank Ltd & President of EDII, officiated the 20^th Convocation. Shri Sharma advised the graduating students to keep working hard and inculcate an innovative approach in handling their respective enterprises. He inspired them to adopt sustainability early on to work towards the development of the country.
 
"Entrepreneurship awareness must permeate into folds of every section of society; and one way of achieving this is by disseminating its advantages through the medium of formal education. EDII understands this well and these graduating students are the testimonies of this phenomenon," said Shri Sharma.
 
On the occasion, Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director, EDII explained how EDII had adopted the new business strategy in keeping with the changing requirements. Placing emphasis on entrepreneurship and its trajectory, Dr. Shukla said that it has a sharp inclination towards innovation and knowledge based enterprises.  Women are increasingly stepping forth with unique business ideas in today’s world and EDII has been taking initiatives to especially contribute towards their self-reliance through its various skill development programmes. Speaking about the Institute’s role in promoting new age start-ups and enterprises, Dr. Shukla said, “EDII is striding rapidly and steadily on the path of startups, incubation and innovations. The presence of start ups in such huge numbers on the Indian industrial landscape is a heartening indication of the rising awareness and supporting ecosystem in the domain. EDII is doing its bit in making India a front runner in this area by extending all necessary help to startups in its role of a nodal agency for start ups, as appointed by the Govt. of Gujarat.”
 
The event registered a huge footfall comprising students, parents, professionals, academicians, officials, entrepreneurs and EDII staff and faculty members.

The serene event was attended by many other notable dignitaries such as, Shri Milind Kamble, Chairman, DICCI and member of EDII Governing Board; Shri Manoj Kumar Das, Principal Secretary, Industries and Mines Department, Government of Gujarat; and so on. The function concluded with Vote of Thanks by Dr. Sunil Shukla.

EDII signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on February 20, 2019 with Karafarini Omid Fund (KOF), Iran for setting up Iran-India Entrepreneurship Development Centre (IIEDC) on February 20, 2019.

EDII which has recently set up an Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Uzbekistan was given the onus of establishing a centre on similar lines in Iran. The establishment of Iran would be a major step towards long term sustainable entrepreneurial intervention specifically in the MSME sector of the country. Development of MSMEs has been recognized as an effective mechanism to facilitate economic development of Iran. It is this sector which provides opportunities for the youth to exhibit their entrepreneurial potential by helping them evolve as ‘job creators’ rather than ‘job seekers’. This assumes importance in a situation when the unemployment level is rising. Looking at the importance of MSME sector in Iran, a need was felt to have a dedicated centre to develop enterprises for Islamic Republic of Iran with special focus on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

It is in this regard that KOF approached EDII which has also established Entrepreneurship Development Centres in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Uzbekistan under the project assigned by Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.   
The establishment of Iran Centre would address the needs of a large portion of the population which is presently unable to pursue entrepreneurial career due to a variety of constraints such as lack of training, information gaps, knowledge gaps and the fear of failure.

The centre will also contribute to improving performance of existing enterprises through training, counselling and strategic interventions. Value chain development would also be pursued. Efforts will also be directed towards introducing Entrepreneurship in the education system so as to create awareness and inculcate the spirit of Entrepreneurship among students in Iran. Thus, IIEDC would facilitate:

Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director, EDII said, "I am delighted to sign this MoU to signal our commitment to boost entrepreneurship in Iran and work together to widespread a culture of entrepreneurship in the country. This will not only benefit the MSME sector of Iran but will also open the doors for further business opportunities and partnership between the two countries."

Karafarini Omid Fund (KOF), Iran was set up with an aim to provide microfinance to small businesses with little or no profit mainly for the purpose of establishing a revenue generating enterprise. KOF is the only full-fledged supportive financial institution in Iran that deals with micro-financing and business support to small and micro-businesses. The fund is the largest support fund of micro-economic activities in recent years and has done exceptional activities in developing the micro-credit culture in Iran. Through its continuous financial support, KOF has successfully created more than 700,000 new job opportunities and has been able to contribute to the promotion of entrepreneurship at the micro level in the country. 

The first Gujarat State Institutional Ranking Framework (GSIRF) on the lines of National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) has ranked EDII as the second best institute of Gujarat.
EDII was rated a 4-star institute by the executive committee of the Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat, Department of Education, Government of Gujarat on the recommendation of the appointed agency, the Indian Care for Academic Rankings and Excellence (ICARE).
A total of 20 universities and 46 non-technical institutes participated in the rating exercise. EDII was awarded a CGPA of 3.66 out of 5 on the basis of comprehensive performance matrix as set out by the GSIRF. Rating was done on the parameters of - Teaching & Learning Resources, Research & Professional Practice, Graduation Outcomes and Outreach & Inclusivity.

Chief Guest Shri Ishwarbhai Parmar, Hon’ble Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Gujarat State inaugurated the first Entrepreneurship Development Programme for SC Youth under the project to train 750 youths of the state in Entrepreneurship and as Small Assistant Managers. Also present on the occasion were Shri Manoj Aggarwal, IAS, Principal Secretary, Social Justice & Empowerment Department, Govt. of Gujarat, Shri D. S. Gadhvi, IAS, Managing Director, Scheduled Caste Development Corporation, Govt. of Gujarat,  Shri Prakash Solanki, IAS, Director, Scheduled Caste Welfare and Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director – EDII.
 
This project involves a series of 20 residential programmes on entrepreneurship development and 10 residential Small Industry Management Assistant Programmes (SIMAP). While the former will target training 500 youths in setting up and managing own enterprise; the latter will ensure imparting skillsets to 250 youths so that they become employable. In all 250 enterprises are expected to be established with employment generation for around 1000 people over a period of time. Investment mobilization expected by these 300 units is to the tune of Rs. 10 to 12 crore over a period of time. The duration of each programme is 4 weeks with participants from across districts of Gujarat. The programmes are sponsored by Scheduled Caste Welfare, Social Justice and Empowerment Department.
 
EDII has been roped in as the implementing agency.   
 
The Chief Guest Hon’ble Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Gujarat State, Shri Ishwarbhai Parmar beckoned all to take advantage of learning and setting up own enterprises. The Chief Guest congratulated the participants for having chosen to get trained. He said, “Skills are the biggest assets one can possess and it is heartening to note that we are now giving it the importance that it deserves. Your skills will make you indispensable and you will be one of the important individuals to steer growth in this industrialized state of Gujarat. While the policies and strategies of the Government are well in pace with the changing trends; your knowledge, skills and attitude will further help you make the maximum of opportunities. This is the first attempt at entrepreneurship by my department and I am sure it will be successful. ”
 
Shri Manoj Aggarwal, IAS, Principal Secretary, Social Justice & Empowerment Department, Govt. of Gujarat, in his address said,“ It is a historical day as we have taken a major step to promote inclusive growth. As far as industrial output is concerned, Gujarat is a leader in the country and it is high time that all sections of the community equally participate in this growth. I am glad that this programme is a stride in this direction. Entrepreneurship is needed today, more than ever before, to orient youths to participate in this growth story. The project has two aspects- one, to promote entrepreneurship and second, to create small enterprise managers who can be employed. Both the programmes will complement each other. So I urge the youths to benefit from this training and make a mark not just in Gujarat but also in India.”
 
Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director, EDII said, “India is moving up the ladder of growth. Inclusive growth is the target of the nation and it is heartening to note that efforts are getting geared up from all significant quarters to achieve this mandate. Gujarat is also proactively pursuing this agenda. Efforts are directed towards bringing the disadvantaged sections into the mainstream by creating result-oriented training platforms and networks so that long term impact of these efforts is noticeable. These openings are certain to create more choices that place them on a levelled pedestal. Entrepreneurship is a proven form of empowerment, as alongside training on setting up and managing business, it promotes self-determination and the confidence to take control of one’s future. EDII is happy to contribute on this front.” 
 
Briefing the house about the Project, Faculty – EDII and Project Director, Mr. S. B. Sareen said, “The programme will help SC youth with latent entrepreneurial potential to get trained in all aspects of New Enterprise Creation and ultimately float their business. Also, those already in business but have not had the benefit of formal training can benefit. In addition,  youths will be trained to provide managerial services in MSMEs. In all, 900 youths will be trained; comprising 600 in Entrepreneurship and 300 as Small Industries Management Assistants.
The function concluded with Vote of thanks by Faculty-EDII, Shri P. Solanki.

 

Shri Ishwarbhai Parmar, Hon’ble Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Gujarat State delivering the inaugural address at the inaugural function of the first Entrepreneurship Development Programme for SC Youth under the mega project to train 750 youths in entrepreneurship and as Small Industries Management Assistants. Also seen on the dais are (from R – L) Shri D. S. Gadhvi, IAS, Managing Director, Scheduled Caste Development Corporation, Govt. of Gujarat; Shri Manoj Aggarwal, IAS, Principal Secretary, Social Justice & Empowerment Department, Govt. of Gujarat; Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director – EDII and Shri Prakash Solanki, IAS, Director, Scheduled Caste Welfare.

 

Seen during the inauguration ceremony is the (in the center) Chief Guest Shri Ishwarbhai Parmar, Hon’ble Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Gujarat State along with (from R – L) Shri D. S. Gadhvi, IAS, Managing Director, Scheduled Caste Development Corporation, Govt. of Gujarat; Shri Manoj Aggarwal, IAS, Principal Secretary, Social Justice & Empowerment Department, Govt. of Gujarat; Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director – EDII and Shri Prakash Solanki, IAS, Director, Scheduled Caste Welfare.

 
Shri Ishwarbhai Parmar lighting the ceremonial lamp at the inauguration ceremony.

Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) is a sub-scheme under National Rural Livelihoods Mission [NRLM], pilot program of Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India with a vision to help the rural poor come out of poverty by creating self-employment opportunities along local economic development by creating local employment through micro enterprises.

The Implementation of SVEP involves interventions at the block level for four years involving SHGs and their Federation to promote micro enterprises owned by SHG members / relatives, marginalized sections and SC and ST communities.

The project has been launched in the year 2015-16, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad is functioning as National Resource Organization in partnership with total 11 State Rural Livelihoods Mission [SRLMs] and implementing in 57 (activities started in 42 blocks) blocks across the country. The states are Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Telangana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Odisha,  Punjab, Assam, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra.

The project also aims at developing a conducive ecosystem in the block for promotion of micro enterprises through Block Resource Centre [BRC-EP] and creation of Community Cadres as Community Resource Person [CRP-EP] for enterprise promotion and for providing necessary handholding support to the Rural Entrepreneurs.

EDII entered into partnership with West Bengal State Rural Livelihoods Mission in the year 2016-17 and implemented SVEP and implemented programme in two blocks : Pathar Pratima ; Dist: South 24 Parganas [Part of Sundarban Area; UNESCO Heritage Sites]  and Dinhata-1; Dist. Coochbehar.

During one of the SHG meetings in Pathar Pratima block, SHG member (a daily wager) Smt. Aparna Das came to know about SVEP and suggested this to her husband, Mr. Utpal Das, also a daily wager. Utpal was subsequently trained and mentored in micro enterprise management along with requisite skill development and handholding towards setting up a Common Service Centre [CSC] in 2017 with total investment of INR 1 Lac [SVEP CEF Support INR 50 thousand and INR 50 thousand own investment]. Utpal provides all kinds of E-services under the Digital India / E-Governance program to the local community.

Against all geographical & infrastructural challenges viz. Power, Transportation, Communication, skill development opportunities etc, with the effort of the WBSRLM and EDII Team support; Utpal established himself, generating annual revenue in the year 2017 of INR 96000.00 and 2018 of INR 180000.00, giving employment to two local youth and providing services to 1500 customers annually.

Inaugurating the India-Uzbekistan Entrepreneurship Development Centre (IUEDC) at Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCIU) in Uzbekistan is EDII Director , Dr. Sunil Shukla with ( on his L) Mr. Adkham Ikramov, Chiarman, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Republic of Uzbekistan and ( on his R) Mr. Vinod Kumar, Ambassador Extraordinaryand Plenipoteniary, Republic of Uzbekistan.