Impressed by the successful execution of the Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development (STED) project by the Tiruchi District Tiny and Small Scale Industries’ Association (TIDITSSIA) over the mandated four-year tenure, the National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, has identified the Association as a role model for the other entities entrusted with the task of implementing the project in subsequent phases in various parts of the country.
At the start of the Expert Advisory Committee meeting on STED Project 2009-2010 that was marked by inauguration of an exhibition organised by the TIDITSSIA-STED, H.K. Mittal, Advisor and Head, NSTEDB, was all praise for the initiatives of the organisers for fostering entrepreneurship in the region, and dwelt on the future course of action.
The exhibition inaugurated by P. Radhakrishnan, Chairman, STED Advisory Committee, featured 24 products manufactured by mostly first-time entrepreneurs after receiving skills training and mentorship under the TIDITSSIA-STED project. The products included gloves, arecanut plates, banana fibre products, fly ash bricks, and other building products.
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For the first time, the Advisory Committee meeting – that is usually held at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad – was approved in Tiruchi based on performance parameters, according to Ramaswamy Desai, Project Director, TIDITSSIA-STED.
An opportunity provided TIDITSSIA-STED, one among the 42 implementing agencies in the country, to make a presentation of the performance in the final year of the project was a unique privilege, he said.
The Project Directors of 12 STED initiatives that were started about four years ago serve on the Advisory Committee.
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Eight among them, including those from New Delhi, Mumbai, Coimbatore and Tiruchi took part in today’s proceedings. Addressing the participants earlier, Dr. Radhakrishnan saw a higher inclination among youths to becoming entrepreneurs.
Quality is key to sustaining in the market, he said, referring to the challenges faced by micro-level entrepreneurs, and emphasised on the guidance role played through STED projects for quality enhancement of products.