Kudumbashree to sign MoU with seven states

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Seven states - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Orissa and Rajasthan- have come forward to avail the services of the state Kudumbashree Mission in helping them replicate and establish the Micro Enterprise Consultant (MEC) model.The Memorandum of Understanding to this effect is expected to be inked soon, a press statement here said.It was at the close of the orientation workshop for Community-based Resources for Enterprise Support and Training (CREST), organised here by the Union Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and Kudumbashree that the decision was taken. The workshop was designed to orient and inform states on Kudumbashree’s MEC model and to discuss plans and modalities for rolling out CREST.According to officials, Chattisgarh has informed that it would give the final word on replicating the model after due discussions at the state level. The MEC model of Kudumbashree has been recognised at the national level by ‘Ajeevika’, earlier known as National Rural Livelihood Mission. The ambitious Ajeevika programme of the Government of India envisages the creation of one crore entrepreneur in seven years.Born from Kudumbashree’s efforts to remedy problems associated with micro enterprises in Kerala, the MEC model comprises a cadre of community professionals trained to support entrepreneurship by identifying, selecting and supporting enterprises.In his address on adapting MEC model of Kudumbashree in the rural livelihood mission programme, the joint secretary, Ajeevika, MoRD T Vijaykumar lauded the MEC model as “for the people, by the people and of the people.”Placing the onus for creating and developing MECs with the states, he said that they could bear the associated costs from the capacity building funds available to them in the state budgets.Earlier, in his inaugural address, the principal secretary, LSGD, James Varghese described the MEC model of Kudumbashree as one of its several milestones. The executive director of Kudumbashree Sarada Muraleedharan spoke about the development of MEC in Kerala. She pointed out the issues faced by micro-enterprises in beneficiary identification, finances, market, scale and technology before spelling out Kudumbashree’s response of integrating enterprisepromotion strategies with local economic development. A short video film that brought out the role of MECs in determining the course of action of micro enterprises across the state was also screened.