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Micro Enterprise promotion and development is one of the significant strategies of Kudumbashree Mission to facilitate economic empowerment of the poor. The Mission developed specific strategies analyzing the requirements of enterprises. This constitutes trainings, partial financial support marketing support and hand holding support to the enterprises. These kinds of supports are applicable for both existing micro enterprises and new ones.
The Mission gives priority on the concept of Local Economic Development (LED) – local production, catering to local consumption to increase the economic activity within the local areas for micro enterprise development. In order to facilitate this concept we ensure the involvement of the community and LSGs to analyze the market demand and the development of products and services accordingly.  

 

Rural Micro Enterprise scheme (RME Scheme)

Through this scheme only women micro enterprises groups will be supported with the capital subsidy of Rs. 10000 per member or 50% of total project cost which ever is less. The number of members in this group is 5 -10. Individual micro enterprise units are eligible to get a subsidy of Rs.7500/- or 30% of the total project cost which ever is less.

Yuvashree

Yuvashree group consists of both men and women in the age group 18-45 years. This is an initiative of Kudumbashree mission to provide work to the unemployed youth who are below poverty line. These people are given the freedom to start an enterprise in which they are interested and Kudumbashree supports them just like how it supports the other enterprises run by women. Here the subsidy norms for individual and group enterprises are same as that of RME scheme

Financial Assistance Services

Analyzing the specific financial requirements, the Mission provides financial assistance to the entrepreneurs as and when required.

Subsidy support: Individual enterprises are given Rs.7500/- as subsidy or 1/3rd of the total project cost whichever is less. Group enterprises are given a subsidy of Rs. 10,000/- per member or 50% of the total project cost whichever is less.

Revolving fund: Revolving fund is meant for meeting urgent requirement of working capital. Enterprises are eligible for revolving fund after completing 6 months of operation. 15% of the total project cost subject to a maximum of Rs.35,000/- per group is admissible RF.

Innovation Fund: Innovation fund was initiated for supporting innovative micro enterprise. The main objective is to cover initial risk. The maximum amount eligible should not exceed 50% of total project cost including subsidy plus innovation fund. Suitable innovative micro enterprise projects will be identified by Micro enterprise teams in Districts based on the opportunity and then submit proposals to the Head Office for approval.

Technology Fund: Technology fund is planned to procure advanced and innovative technologies for setting up micro enterprises under Kudumbashree. The cost of technology includes the cost to develop a new technology, purchase of a technology from research organization, laboratory, and individuals, NGOs etc. Project proposals for the procurement or development of technology for micro enterprises are drafted by the District Missions and are scrutinized and approved by a screening committee constituted for the purpose at State level.40% of the project cost (except the cost of land and building ) subject to a limit of Rs.30,000/- per family or 3,00,000/-

Technology upgradation fund: Technology upgradation fund is provided for updating the technology already acquired by the MEs. The eligible amount is Rs.35,000/- per person subject to a maximum of Rs.3,50,000/-.

Second Dose Assistance to ME: This is a special assistance programme to help units which have fallen on hard times to revive and develop strategies to become viable again. This assistance is applicable for units which are interested for diversification. Eligible subsidy under second dose for a group is 40% of the total project cost or Rs.3,00,000/-

Crisis Management Fund: Crisis management fund is meant for responding to an unpredictable negative event to prevent it from escalating into an even bigger problem related to Micro enterprise activities of Kudumbashree. Kudumbashree adopts a four pronged approach towards crisis management:

1. Anticipate potential crisis situations and prepare for them
2. Provide accurate information during a crisis
3. React as quickly as possible to the situation
4. Long-term solutions

Here proposals were verified and forwarded by the District Mission and are approved by a screening committee constituted for the purpose at State level. The maximum amount which can be disbursed as CMF is Rs.3,00,000/-

Training support services

General Orientation Training (GOT): GOT provides a general orientation about various livelihood opportunities available in the locality with specific focus on the support provided by various agencies and departments for setting up enterprises and livelihood development. The training will provide broad information on various livelihood programmes of Kudumbashree Mission. The expected outcome is to help the women/ youth identify the employment opportunity based on their skill & interest.

Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP): EDP is given to persons who opts entrepreneurship as a means of livelihood, which is done over three to five days by trained resource persons or specialized training agencies. They cover sessions to develop basic entrepreneurial skills of the participants.

Project planning and skill training: Persons completing EDP are formed into groups in the case of group enterprises and based on the sector in which the business is planned, appropriate skill development training is conducted by specialized and accredited training agencies.

Performance Improvement Programme (PIP): Training programmes that are aimed at improving the capabilities of entrepreneurs in various areas of enterprises are being offered. These include technical, operational, marketing related and general management training programmes.

Accounting training: Entrepreneurs are being provided training to help them improve the accounting and book-keeping of their enterprises.

Micro Enterprise Consultants (MECs)

It was identified by the mission team that there must be a local expert support mechanism for strengthening and handholding enterprises and it was not feasible to have professionals from outside placed for this purpose. This lead to the development of an institutionalized support mechanism called Micro Enterprise Consultants (MECs).

MECs were men and women graduates identified by the CDS from among Kudumbashree families who were provided adequate trainings by the Mission. Over the years, MECs have been equipped with wide range of capacity building inputs by the Mission for disseminating business plan preparation, business counseling and marketing support to needy entrepreneurs.

ME Meets

ME meets are conducted at block level to identify enterprises needing Kudumbashree support and market facilitation. These meets help in networking those enterprises who have not availed of subsidy support from Kudumbashree.

Kudumbashree provided support in the following areas:

Collectives
 
Consortiums
Details of Consortiums
Amrutham Nutrimix Consortium
Producer Companies
Details of Producer Companies
Monthly Markets

Kudumbashree took its first step in marketing by facilitating monthly markets at the district level. Fixed venue, date and infrastructure facilities were provided to CDS for the markets. The support of LSGs ensured in the conduct of the fairs. Monthly markets became functional on 2 October 2007.

Monthly markets provide a new platform for Kudumbashree to develop a brand image in the minds of the public. The demand for more markets, increase in the number of market days, the demand for product in remote areas led the Mission to expand the market in municipal, block, taluk-level fairs to Panchayat-levels. In several LSGs, the monthly markets eventually became weekly markets and wherever LSG has come to provide permanent space, they have become daily shops.

IITF

As part of brand building, Kudumbashree participates in national and international festivals. India International Trade Fair is one event Kudumbashree participates.

State Trade Fair

Kudumbashree as part of brand image creation and to promote state wide products conducts special trade fairs, food fests and cultural fests featuring Kerala’s cuisine, art forms and various products made by Kudumbashree women.

Home shop

It is a process of marketing products made by Kudumbashree beneficiaries to the local community through the support of CBOs in the local community. The distribution system or the marketing groups are managed by a professional management team. Thus three systems - production, marketing and management - work in close coordination.

Sales and marketing enterprises (SME)

To promote marketing of Kudumbashree products the Mission initiated the SME concept where women or youth who has an aptitude for selling can start a marketing enterprise group.

Retail Shops

The retail shops are proposed to be set up with the help and support of LSGIs. If space is provided by LSGs then Kudumbashree will provide financial support for working capital and for designing and developing interiors. Monitoring will be done by the concerned LSGs and CDSs. Outlets are being started functional in Ettumanoor CDS of Kottayam district and Cheruthazham CDS of Kannur district

Food Fests

Promotion of canteen and catering units and ethnic delicacies enabled the Mission to start food fests in association with leading newspapers and other departments across the state. The ethnic delicacies across Kerala are brought on a single platform so that customers can taste and understand the various cuisines familiar in each locality in the districts.

Branding

Kudumbashree’s present marketing channels includes monthly market, fairs, homeshops and retails outlets.The products which have already shown a regular demand among customers and are ethnic and unique in some districts are suggested to be considered as premium products. The main objectives behind branding demaned products are adding more marketing segments especially high end markets for these selected products.

As a first stage, 10 products from various sectors are selected and planned to fine tune to compete with established brands. Work is in progress including certification of the products.

Going forward, more products and services can be added to the premium sectors considering the USP. Parallel market research and analysis will ensure that the ever-changing demands of the market are accounted by the micro-enterprises making them more sustainable in long run.

The uniqueness of Kudumbashree’s marketing sector is that equal importance should be given to all type of microenterprises as the beneficiaries ranges from a home stead activity to consortium model. Considering the range of the Micro Enterprise feasible strategy is adopted.

 

Related Downloads
 
Kudumbashree Districtwise Onam Fair Details-2016
Kudumbashree Categorywise Onam Sales Details-2016
Kudumbashree Agriculture Sales Details-2016
Special Enterprises

There are special enterprises that have been specifically sponsored and developed by the Kudumbashree Mission

Some special micro enterprises are listed below,

Santhwanam: Santhwanam is a major intervention of Kudumbashree in the Health sector. With lifestyle diseases on the rise, a visit to hospitals and clinics for periodical check ups has become common among the poor as well as the elite. This prompted Kudumbashree to think of an alternative and thus Santhwanam project became part of Kudumbashree livelihood programmes.

Santhwanam is a collaborative effort of Kudumbashree, Health Action by People (HAP) and the State Bank of India (SBI). Women from Kudumbashree families having a plus-two education or graduation in science are selected for enterprises. They are given seven days of intensive training on technical inputs and personality development by HAP, an NGO headed by a group of committed doctors. The entrepreneurs are trained in checking the height, body weight, body mass index, cancer detection, blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol of people they visit at home to check on their diseases. The medical equipments and strips required for the check ups are supplied by HAP.

Kudumbashree imparts performance improvement training to these people after every six months of functioning. The Santhwanam groups also take part in fairs and festivals, where they get plenty of patients to carry out check ups on and earn a good income. This is in addition to the regular house visits they undertake for periodic check ups. The main benefit of this scheme is that the periodic check ups give individuals a warning about their state of health so that they can go to a hospital in time for further treatment if necessary.

Amrutham Food Supplement: Nutritional food supplement provided through the 33000 anganwadi of the State to children in the age group of 6 months to 3 years.

Cafe Kudumbashree:Cafe Kudumbashree is a sub brand of Kudumbashree in the hospitality sector. More than 1000 units serving ethnic delicacies are functioning across the state. Café Kudumbashree specializes in ethnic Kerala cuisine, prepared by women from various cultures, traditions and customs. Arguably, this is the only brand that brings together the diversity of ethnic Kerala cuisine under one roof. Over the years, Cafe Kudumbashree has established itself as a strong brand in the restaurant sector, through a series of food festivals, catering orders and also by running canteens.

Kudumbashree Travels:Concern about the safe travel of women and children especially at odd timings led the Mission to think of an innovative enterprise- the Kudumbashree Travels. The women taxi service piloted in Thiruvananthapuram the State capital was expanded to almost all the districts. Call centre, GPS monitoring system, web enabled services and other features associated with a professional taxi services have been provided by Kudumbashree travels. Specific design & colour combination along with the Kudumbashree logo makes the vehicle easily identifiable. The project is implemented in the urban areas though women from rural areas too can become part of the service.

Kudumbashree Wellness Centers:Kudumbashree wellness centers evolved as an outcome of Santwanam programme. Women who do not have the facility to exercise, or to find time for their health care are encouraged to visit wellness centers run by Kudumbashree women. Modern equipments, classes on health habits, cookery classes are conducted as part of this initiative. The project is implemented in urban areas.

Kudumbashree Women Construction Teams:The concept is developed and designed with the support of HUDCO. Women having civil engineering background are trained as consultants, diploma/ITI holders in civil engineering are provided site supervision training & unskilled/semi skilled women labourers (masons) are given skill up gradation training in construction techniques. The training module is developed by Laurie Baker Center for Habitat Studies and training is provided by KITCO, Kochi, & Archana Women’s Center, Kottayam. The objective is to upgrade, diversify and certify the skills of labourers in new technologies and emerging standards in the construction industry, as a pilot, the project is implemented in Ernakulam and based on its success, will be replicated in cities.

Micro Enterprise Consultants (MECs)

It was identified by the mission team that there must be a local expert support mechanism for strengthening and handholding enterprises and it was not feasible to have professionals from outside placed for this purpose. This lead to the development of an institutionalized support mechanism called Micro Enterprise Consultants (MECs).

MECs were men and women graduates identified by the CDS from among Kudumbashree families who were provided adequate trainings by the Mission. Over the years, MECs have been equipped with wide range of capacity building inputs by the Mission for disseminating business plan preparation, business counseling and marketing support to needy entrepreneurs.

Training Groups:
An enterprise of training specialists from the community network of Kudumbashree.(EKSAT and TRISAT)

KAASS: Kudumbashree Accounts & Audit Service Society; a home grown enterprise to ensure proper account keeping in the community network.