Indian Institute of Management Sambalpur has partnered with the National SC-ST Hub to host a Business Accelerator Programme aimed at strengthening entrepreneurship among Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC-ST) communities.
The six-day programme, held in collaboration with the National SC-ST Hub under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, focuses on building business, financial, and digital capabilities among grassroots entrepreneurs. The initiative aligns with the goals of Viksit Bharat 2047 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with an emphasis on inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
The programme was inaugurated in the presence of Mahadeo Jaiswal, director of IIM Sambalpur. Sambit Tripathy, former IRS officer and CMD of Livelihood Alternatives, attended as chief guest, while Anupam Gayen, zonal head at NSIC, was the guest of honour. Nibedita Nayak, former chairperson of the Odisha State Social Welfare Board, delivered the keynote address.
The accelerator follows a blended structure comprising six days of on-campus training at IIM Sambalpur and six days of online learning, followed by six months of handholding support. The first cohort included 25 entrepreneurs from Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. According to the institute, a second cohort will begin in February 2026, offering a 72-hour hybrid learning format with virtual weekend sessions and a six-day on-campus module.
Speaking at the event, Jaiswal said entrepreneurship must go beyond wealth creation and focus on societal and environmental value. He emphasised the role of grassroots entrepreneurs in achieving India’s development goals and highlighted the need to align entrepreneurship education with the National Education Policy 2020, focusing on knowledge creation, innovation, and responsible use of technology.
Tripathy underlined the importance of capacity building, business planning, and communication skills for entrepreneurial success, while Nayak described the programme as a significant step towards inclusive growth. She said SC-ST entrepreneurship is critical to India’s economic future, noting that inclusive growth is now an economic necessity rather than a policy choice.
Through the partnership, IIM Sambalpur reiterated its commitment to fostering inclusive and innovation-driven entrepreneurship by supporting SC-ST entrepreneurs in scaling their ventures, generating local employment, and contributing to grassroots economic development.
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