'Corporate Mitras' to empower MSMEs in smaller cities
New Delhi, July 27
The government has said that 'Corporate Mitras' are envisaged to provide accessible, affordable, and quality compliance and business support services to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, while creating a pool of trained para-professionals by equipping young graduates with industry-relevant knowledge and practical skills.
Towards this, the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), Shillong, under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, organised a webinar for awareness and sensitisation of the Corporate Mitra Scheme among the youth, students, MSMEs, professionals and enterprises of Arunachal Pradesh.
According to an official statement, the scheme aims to empower MSMEs, primarily in the tier 2 and 3 cities, by supporting them in playing their part in the larger vision of a Viksit Bharat at 2047.
The initiative is expected to strengthen the MSME ecosystem and enhance employment opportunities, particularly across the North Eastern Region.
The accredited 'Corporate Mitras' are expected to provide affordable and accessible professional assistance to the local enterprises, for the non-core aspects of their business operation - regulatory, compliance, financial, taxation, accounting, and governance-related needs - thereby ensuring that MSMEs can focus on innovation, expansion and growth, while meeting regulatory requirements with ease.
The scheme implementation is planned with an initial pan India target of 2000 participants, including 200 exclusively from the North East Region (NER), with a 50 per cent fee concession being available for the NER candidates, said the statement.
For the scheme's rollout and implementation for the Northeast region, IICA Shillong has been designated as the nodal agency for coordination and liaison with state governments and other stakeholders.
The scheme embodies the vision of a formalised, financially sustainable, and a thriving MSME sector by creating a strong support ecosystem for the MSMEs, through facilitating access to a pool of qualified, accredited and trusted para professionals "Corporate Mitras".
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally something for our small business owners! My uncle runs a small unit in Kanpur and he struggles with all the compliance paperwork. These 'Corporate Mitras' could really help people like him focus on their actual business instead of getting lost in files and forms.
Good idea on paper, but let's hope there's proper training and accountability. We've seen many government schemes fail due to lack of ground-level monitoring. And 50% fee concession for NER is nice, but will these services really be "affordable" for small MSMEs? Need to see the actual pricing.
As someone from Shillong, I'm proud IICA is based here and leading this for the Northeast! The NE region has so many small entrepreneurs in textiles, handicrafts, and food processing. They really need this kind of structured support to compete with bigger players. Viksit Bharat 2047 is achievable if we empower our grassroots businesses!
The concept is good - creating para-professionals for compliance support. But we need to ensure these 'Corporate Mitras' are actually qualified and not just some certification-mill product. Otherwise MSMEs might end up getting wrong advice and face penalties. Quality control is key here 🎯
Exactly what tier 2 and 3 cities need! My father runs a small manufacturing unit in Nagpur and he spends almost 2 days every month just dealing with GST and tax filings. If these Mitras can take over that headache, MSMEs can actually focus on innovation and growth. Hope the implementation is smooth and reaches the right people.
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