43 Training Centres Across Five States Come Under IIM Bangalore’s PM VIKAS Monitoring Plan

Prof. U Dinesh Kumar, Director in Charge, IIM Bangalore, and Rasika Prashant, CEO, IIMB Innovations (NSRCEL), outline collaborations with the Ministry of Minority Affairs and NMDFC covering government programme monitoring and entrepreneurship support for minority communities.

IIM Bangalore will independently monitor 43 PM VIKAS training centres across five southern states under a new agreement with the Ministry of Minority Affairs. A second agreement with the National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC) will focus on entrepreneurship and startup development among minority communities.
The two agreements were signed and exchanged at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, in the presence of Dr. Srivatsa Krishna, Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs.
The signatories included S P Roy, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs; Nixon Mathur, General Manager, NMDFC; Prof. U Dinesh Kumar, Director in Charge, IIM Bangalore; and Rasika Prashant, CEO, IIMB Innovations (NSRCEL).

Under the first agreement, IIM Bangalore’s Centre for Public Policy (CPP) will undertake independent inspections and concurrent monitoring of training centres operating under the Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) Scheme.
The initial engagement covers 43 training centres across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
The assessments will examine training delivery, infrastructure, beneficiary and trainer participation, attendance, certification and placement outcomes. Field inspections and consultations with relevant stakeholders will provide evidence to identify implementation gaps and improve programme delivery.

Prof. U Dinesh Kumar, Director in Charge, IIM Bangalore, said, “IIMB values the responsibility entrusted to it through such efforts, particularly where its expertise can help strengthen public programmes and their outcomes. Through our Centres of Excellence, both of which have over 25 years of experience in creating impact on the ground, we are keen to bring our understanding, knowledge and capabilities to initiatives that can expand opportunities for minority communities as well as enable pathways for enterprise”.
The second agreement brings together IIMB Innovations, through its entrepreneurship and incubation centre NSRCEL, and NMDFC to support entrepreneurship and startup development among minority communities.

The collaboration will cover entrepreneurship training, capacity building, innovation, incubation, research, technology applications and enterprise development.
One area of cooperation will be the Prime Minister Minority Venture Fund (PM MVF). Potential activities include entrepreneurship awareness, startup identification, incubation, mentoring, investor and industry connections, market access and support for emerging enterprises.
Rasika Prashant, CEO, IIMB Innovations (NSRCEL), said, “Inclusive innovation is vital for India’s startup ecosystem. By combining our incubation support with the vision of MoMA and NMDFC, we will be empowering minority founders with expert mentoring, market access, and enterprise support to help them achieve scale, market-readiness and attract investment”.

The partnership is also expected to facilitate knowledge exchange and institutional cooperation across emerging sectors.
Both agreements form part of a broader set of collaborations established by the Ministry of Minority Affairs with academic, research and innovation institutions in Bengaluru.
Other participating institutions include the Centre for Urbanization, Buildings & Environment (CUBE), IIT Madras, and the Foundation for Science Innovation and Development (FSID), IISc Bengaluru.
The agreements will bring academic research, technical expertise and incubation capabilities into government initiatives intended to improve programme delivery and create economic opportunities for minority communities.

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