Odisha Livelihoods Mission and IIT Bhubaneswar signed MoU to incubate 150 rural women enterprises over three years with ₹10.70 crore funding for business planning and market linkages.
OLM and IIT Bhubaneswar Sign MoU for Rural Women Entrepreneurship
In a significant move to bolster rural women-led enterprises, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Odisha Livelihoods Mission (OLM) and IIT Bhubaneswar at the Mission Shakti Bhawan on Monday. The exchange took place in the presence of the Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Women & Child Development, Pravati Parida. Under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), the government is launching an incubation programme through the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) to support growth-oriented rural enterprises across the State.
IIT Bhubaneswar will serve as the incubation partner, providing support in business planning, product development, quality enhancement, market linkages, access to finance, and professional networking. This collaboration also brings together the government’s livelihood mission with a premier technical institution’s expertise to create sustainable economic opportunities for rural women entrepreneurs.
Programme Supports 150 Growth-Oriented Rural Enterprises
According to the guidelines of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), at least 150 growth-oriented rural enterprises will be supported through the incubation process over the next three years. The Union Ministry of Rural Development has approved an expenditure of ₹10.70 crore for this programme. In the first phase, the Union Ministry of Rural Development sanctioned ₹99 lakh to IIT Bhubaneswar for the implementation of the initiative.
The funding will cover training programmes, mentorship sessions, infrastructure development, technology upgradation, and market exposure activities for participating enterprises. IIT Bhubaneswar will also allocate resources for establishing an incubation center dedicated to rural women entrepreneurs, providing them with workspace, equipment, and administrative support necessary for business growth.
Programme Transforms SHGs into Small and Medium Enterprises
The programme aims to create a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, enabling Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to transform into small and medium enterprises. IIT Bhubaneswar will also assist in securing patents and process certifications to help create unique identities for select products from Odisha. This transformation process involves formalizing business operations, establishing quality standards, building brand identity, and developing sustainable supply chains.
SHG members currently produce traditional crafts, food products, handlooms, and artisan goods. The incubation programme will also help them standardize production processes, improve product quality, package items professionally, and access wider markets beyond local villages. Patent registration and certification will protect their intellectual property and add value to their products, enabling premium pricing.
Deputy Chief Minister Commits to Nurturing Women Entrepreneurs
Addressing the gathering, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida stated that the government is committed to nurturing women as successful entrepreneurs. “The collaboration with a premier institution like IIT Bhubaneswar has opened new avenues of opportunity for SHG women. Through technical guidance and advanced training, they will be able to position their products at national and international levels,” she said.
Parida emphasized that technical guidance from IIT Bhubaneswar will introduce modern production techniques, quality control systems, and business management practices to rural women entrepreneurs. Advanced training programs will also cover digital marketing, online sales platforms, financial management, and customer relationship management, preparing women for competitive market environments.
Odisha Achieves Lakhpati Didi Goal, Targets Crorepati Didi
Highlighting the state’s progress, Smt. Parida noted that Odisha has achieved its ‘Lakhpati Didi’ goal and is now working towards the ‘Crorepati Didi’ target. She emphasised that the state currently has 23,000 ‘Lakhpati Didis’ and the administration aims to elevate them further. She added that all finances for these initiatives will be managed by the department.
The ‘Lakhpati Didi’ initiative aimed to ensure at least one woman in every household earns ₹1 lakh annually through livelihood activities. Odisha successfully achieved this target with 23,000 women becoming ‘Lakhpati Didis’. The new ‘Crorepati Didi’ target aims to help women entrepreneurs achieve annual incomes of ₹1 crore, representing a tenfold increase and requiring significant business scaling.
IIT Bhubaneswar Director Expresses Commitment to Mission
Prof. Sripada Karmalkar, Director of IIT Bhubaneswar, expressed the institute’s commitment to the mission. “We are very happy that we will be able to help these 150 women entrepreneurs in Odisha. This will affect society in a good way,” he said. The Director also outlined IIT Bhubaneswar’s approach, which includes deploying faculty mentors, recruiting industry experts as advisors, and engaging students in supporting enterprise development through project work and internships.
IIT Bhubaneswar will establish a dedicated office within the institute to coordinate incubation activities, manage entrepreneur relationships, and track progress metrics. The institute will also organize regular review meetings, success story documentation, and knowledge-sharing sessions to ensure continuous improvement in the incubation process.
Initiative Aligns with Viksit Bharat and Viksit Odisha Visions
The initiative is envisioned to align with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Viksit Bharat” and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s “Viksit Odisha” vision, significantly contributing to the economic empowerment and confidence of women across the state. Both visions emphasize inclusive development, women’s empowerment, rural economic growth, and sustainable livelihood creation as critical components of national and state progress.
This MoU represents a concrete step toward achieving these visions by translating policy objectives into actionable programs that directly benefit rural women. The collaboration demonstrates how government missions and academic institutions can work together to address development challenges, create economic opportunities, and build sustainable livelihoods for marginalized communities.
The OLM-IIT Bhubaneswar MoU establishes a transformative framework for rural women entrepreneurship in Odisha, combining government resources with technical expertise to empower 150 women entrepreneurs, create sustainable enterprises, and contribute significantly to the state’s economic development and women’s empowerment goals.
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