About EFCs

The Enterprise Facilitation Centres (EFCs) under the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) were established with the aim of providing a platform for existing and potential entrepreneurs to get access to the necessary support systems and business development services for starting an enterprise or for scaling up existing ones. The hope is that a new generation of people will emerge from across the state that will look to create jobs rather than look for jobs.

In pursuance of its objectives the MIE supports the Enterprise Facilitation Centers (EFC) in creation of an ecosystem to support enterprise and self employment growth through training, capacitating and hand-holding potential entrepreneur partners who have registered themselves in the EFCs and who are desirous of improving their livelihoods and are willing to invest their time, labor and money to start an enterprise. The MIE also supports line departments in the strategizing, implementation and roll out of specific mission interventions geared towards entrepreneurship and that too upon request from the departments concerned. As a demand based organization with limited resources the MIE does not give grants and has no developmental schemes to implement on its own except for training, capacity building and enterprise ecosystem creation and promotion. Partners are recommended by the EFCs for training which are then routed to the MIE for mobilization of technical and training resources. In keeping with its mandate as a resource, support and training institution, the MIE encourages departments and other agencies of the Government to take center stage and ownership of programmes and missions while supporting them from behind through training and capacity building

WHAT IS AN EFC?

The EFC is a unique effort to create a single point of contact for enterprising citizens of the community to meet their needs of information, selection of opportunities, technology and finance. Additionally, the EFCs work to spread awareness and understanding of entrepreneurship in the rural areas while looking to create social acceptance of entrepreneurs

WHY EFC?

Enterprise Promotion is a core initiative of MBDA where farmers and growers are encouraged to take up all economic activities in an enterprise mode – being market oriented and able to do a rudimentary cost benefit analysis. Looking at economic activities as enterprises is a significant shift, keeping in mind the theme that tribal economies are non-monetized and have been functioning at the subsistence level for hundreds of years. Bringing about this shift involves making changes beginning with working on attitudes, building capacities to understand markets and pushing up the products to higher levels in the value chain.

APPROACH

To achieve enterprise led growth under the MBDA, entrepreneurs are being developed at different levels of the Enterprise Pyramid where they can be connected to each other. The Government is invested in creating eco systems rather than delivering services which can be more efficiently delivered by private local entrepreneurs. The government is facilitating all this by providing the framework for entrepreneurs to operate, by linking entrepreneurs with banks, through providing margin money/venture capital, and through capacity and skill development support to entrepreneurs at all levels.

IMPACTS

Attitudinal shift toward entrepreneurship: From dole and subsidy dependence to self-reliance through profitable activities and own livelihoods.

Greater access and efficiency for all stakeholders: EFC as a single window for accessing all necessary services and support systems available in the development space.

SERVICES AT AN EFC

Building aspirations: –

  • Sharing Success stories and Providing Information
  • Screening informational films and distribution of IEC material
  • Building Relationships

Identification: –

  • Need Assessment
  • Interaction at EFC
  • Assessing Entrepreneurship

Intervention: –

  • Business Plan Development
  • Bank Linkage
  • Margin Money Equity
  • Capacity Building
  • Collectivization for Forward and Backward Linkage

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Ecosystem establishment: ENTERPRISE FACILITATION CENTRE

  • 39 EFCs established across the state; one in each block.

Enterprise facilitation: ASPIRATION BUILDING NEED ASSESSMENT INTERVENTION

  • 40,000+ people registered for facilitation
  • 14,717 people facilitated with capacity building and training

Enterprise development: OUTCOMES

  • 787 registered partners started new enterprises
  • 974 expanded an existing enterprise1
  • 114 diversified from an existing enterprise
  • 2,000+ entrepreneurs linked to banks
  • INR 1,000+ Lakhs loan mobilized