Sangrur, October 30:- The National SC-ST Hub, under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India, in collaboration with the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), organised an Entrepreneurship Awareness and Special Vendor Development Programme (EA&SVDP) on October 30, 2026, at Hotel Ramsons Crown, Haripura Road, Sangrur, Punjab.
The objective of the programme was to create awareness about various initiatives of the Ministry of MSME, Government of India, including the National SC-ST Hub (NSSH) Scheme. It aimed to increase awareness of the NSSH Scheme among existing and prospective entrepreneurs, thereby facilitating Central Ministries, Departments and Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) in meeting the mandatory 4% procurement target under the Public Procurement Policy.
Both prospective and existing entrepreneurs received comprehensive information about the NSSH Scheme and various other schemes offered by the Ministry of MSME. Prospective entrepreneurs were specifically informed about the importance of registering on the Udyam Portal to formalise their enterprises. Existing entrepreneurs were provided detailed information about the vendor registration process, required documents, products procured by CPSEs, the e-tendering process, credit facility options and subsidy components available through banks to support business expansion and sustainability.
More than 100 existing and prospective SC-ST entrepreneurs from Sangrur, Punjab, and nearby areas participated in the programme.
The programme was attended by Shri Mohit, Assistant Director, MSME DFO, Ludhiana; Shri Ritesh Singh, Trainer, GeM; Shri A.M. Shankar, Divisional Manager, FCI-Sangrur; Er. Dharambir Singh, SSE, BBMB-Sangrur; Shri Satish Kumar, Chief Material Manager, and Shri Jatinder Gupta, Senior Material Manager, IOCL, Headquarters, New Delhi; Ms. Charanya Ambati, DGM, Procurement, Power Grid Corporation of India, Jammu; Shri Surmukh Singh, Lead District Manager, SBI-Sangrur; Shri Shiv Prakash, Branch Manager, BOB-Sangrur; Ms. Jaspreet, Executive, DIC-Sangrur; Shri Bal Kishan, Faculty, RSETI-Sangrur; and Shri Rakesh Kandhari, DM, Punjab SC Finance Corporation.
In his introductory address, Shri Surya Bhushan, Branch In-charge of the National SC-ST Hub, Ludhiana, gave a brief overview of the programme and explained the Government of India's Public Procurement Policy. Under the policy, public procurement of 4% from SC/ST-owned Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) and 3% from women-owned MSEs is mandatory.
The programme facilitated direct interaction between existing and prospective entrepreneurs and key stakeholders, including CPSEs, MSMEs, financial institutions and other agencies supporting MSMEs. During the technical sessions, representatives of MSMEs, banks, CPSEs and GeM shared their views on financial assistance, vendor empanelment procedures and support services, thereby strengthening cooperation within the MSME ecosystem.
