MoU inks to facilitate and support rural business hubs

Shillong, Dec 8 (UNI) An MOU was signed between IFC's South Asia Enterprise Development Facility (IFC-SEDF) and CII for developing a comprehensive programme for North East to facilitate and support Rural Business Hubs (RBHs), a Public-Private-Panchayat Partnership project to establish direct business linkages between industry and the local community.

The RBH is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, launched in partnership with CII and it is heartening to see IFC come forward to partner us in this effort, DoNER ministry official told UNI here.

RBHs aims to foster and permeate economic growth into and for rural India by facilitating direct linkages between industry and the rural community through local elected bodies.

According to the DoNER official, the establishment of RBHs will assist farmers, artisans and small entrepreneurs in the North Eastern region of India to increase yields, improve quality, reduce transaction costs and enhance market access.

The collaboration aims to establish a few RBHs in the North Eastern region over the first phase of the project. CII launched the programme 'Mission for Inclusive Growth' this year, which aims to mainstream economically backward parts of India by drawing together socially and economically backward classes into a virtuous cycle of growth, development and empowerment through s series of focused interventions in rural and urban India.

IFC-SEDF's collaboration with CII and the Ministry of Panchayati Raj aims to set up RBH pilots that are viable, scalable and replicable.

The project will strive to map out the potential and facilitate and support the establishment of rural business hubs in the North Eastern states of India in the areas of agri-business, poultry, fisheries, handicrafts and non-conventional energy; support capacity building for specific RBHs in the North East and support market linkages for scaling and marketing products.

UNI RRK PL RN1441