News & Announcement
Awareness Programme on State and Central Government Schemes
Gangtok, March 9 (IPR): As part of the ongoing awareness programme on state and central government schemes in various Gram Panchayat Kendras in Gangtok district, an awareness programme regarding the same was organised today at Gnathang GPK Hall, Chandmari, in the presence of Zilla Panchayat, Gnathang ZTC, Mr Lakpa Tshering Tamang as the chief guest. These awareness programmes are being organised by the District Industries Centre, Gangtok, under the Commerce and Industries Department in collaboration with the Sikkim Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (SEED) Cell.
The main objective of these awareness programmes is to create a supportive ecosystem for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs by facilitating access to government resources, funding opportunities, online marketing platforms, and by providing guidance on starting and scaling their businesses.
Zilla Panchayat, Gnathang ZTC, Mr Lakpa Tshering Tamang, in his address, appealed to the public to leverage such schemes in their entrepreneurial journey. He emphasised the importance of such programmes, especially in areas where people earn their livelihood through businesses.
Deputy Director, District Industries Centre (Gangtok), Mr Janak Chettri, in his address, explained the role of the District Industries Centre in helping aspiring entrepreneurs leverage the state and central government schemes in place in order to start and scale their businesses. He also emphasised the importance of the Sikkim Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (SEED) Cell, stating the cell as an experienced incubator for aspiring entrepreneurs.
District Coordinator, SEED Cell, Ms Prathana Subba, in her keynote address, reiterated the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Singh Tamang’s vision of ‘One Family, One Entrepreneur’, emphasising the independence and self-reliance of an entrepreneur as opposed to working under a hierarchy. She shared her entrepreneurial journey as a testimony and appealed to aspiring entrepreneurs to leverage the state and central government schemes in place. She also urged the gathering to become job creators rather than job seekers in order to combat the problem of unemployment.
Inspector, DIC, Ms Pravina Pradhan, delivered a presentation on the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), which was launched in 2008. PMEGP is a Government of India–backed, credit-linked subsidy scheme aimed at promoting self-employment and the establishment of micro-enterprises. Under this scheme, in Sikkim and other North Eastern states, banks can sanction up to 95% of the project cost, while the beneficiary is required to contribute only 5% of the total project cost. The Government provides a margin money subsidy of 25% for projects located in urban areas and 35% for those in rural areas. This subsidy is credited to the loan account and helps reduce the overall repayment burden of the beneficiary. She also provided details on the eligibility criteria for beneficiaries under the scheme, along with the financing agencies and the list of activities under the scheme. She concluded her presentation by providing details on the upgradation of existing PMEGP units and the eligibility criteria for the same.
Inspector, DIC, Mr C M Chettri, delivered a presentation on the UNNATI Scheme (Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialization Scheme). He explained that the scheme, launched by the Government of India in 2024, aims to promote industrialisation, attract investment, and generate employment across the North Eastern Region, including Sikkim. The scheme provides financial incentives to encourage the establishment of new industrial units as well as the expansion of existing ones in the manufacturing and service sectors.
Mr Chettri further highlighted that, to be eligible, enterprises must set up their operations within the North Eastern states and meet the prescribed minimum investment requirements, which are approximately ₹1 crore for manufacturing units and ₹50 lakh for service-sector units, while commencing operations within four years of registration. He also noted that the scheme offers several forms of financial support, including capital investment subsidies, interest subvention on loans, and other incentives regarding investment. These provisions help lower the cost of setting up industries and promote sustainable economic growth in the region, he said.
Consultant, RAMP, Mr Prem Chettri, delivered his presentation on various schemes such as Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP), PM Vishwakarma, ONDC, Udhyam, and PAN and GST.
The final presentation of the day was delivered by Legal Consultant, RAMP, Ms Tanushree Thapa, who spoke on Online Dispute Resolution (ODR). She explained that ODR is a modern, technology-driven mechanism for resolving disputes through online platforms, allowing parties to settle conflicts without the need for physical court appearances.
Ms Thapa highlighted that ODR combines traditional dispute resolution methods such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration with digital tools, making the process faster, more cost-effective, and accessible to people regardless of their location. She also emphasised its growing relevance in today’s digital economy, particularly for resolving e-commerce, consumer, and commercial disputes efficiently.
Today’s awareness programme concluded with an interactive question and answer session.
The welcome address was delivered by District Joint Coordinator, SEED Cell, Mr Bikash Sharma, while the vote of thanks was proposed by Panchayat President, Gnathang GPU, Ms Pema Sherpa.
Today’s programme was also attended by SHGs and other stakeholders.
The main objective of these awareness programmes is to create a supportive ecosystem for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs by facilitating access to government resources, funding opportunities, online marketing platforms, and by providing guidance on starting and scaling their businesses.
Zilla Panchayat, Gnathang ZTC, Mr Lakpa Tshering Tamang, in his address, appealed to the public to leverage such schemes in their entrepreneurial journey. He emphasised the importance of such programmes, especially in areas where people earn their livelihood through businesses.
Deputy Director, District Industries Centre (Gangtok), Mr Janak Chettri, in his address, explained the role of the District Industries Centre in helping aspiring entrepreneurs leverage the state and central government schemes in place in order to start and scale their businesses. He also emphasised the importance of the Sikkim Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (SEED) Cell, stating the cell as an experienced incubator for aspiring entrepreneurs.
District Coordinator, SEED Cell, Ms Prathana Subba, in her keynote address, reiterated the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Singh Tamang’s vision of ‘One Family, One Entrepreneur’, emphasising the independence and self-reliance of an entrepreneur as opposed to working under a hierarchy. She shared her entrepreneurial journey as a testimony and appealed to aspiring entrepreneurs to leverage the state and central government schemes in place. She also urged the gathering to become job creators rather than job seekers in order to combat the problem of unemployment.
Inspector, DIC, Ms Pravina Pradhan, delivered a presentation on the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), which was launched in 2008. PMEGP is a Government of India–backed, credit-linked subsidy scheme aimed at promoting self-employment and the establishment of micro-enterprises. Under this scheme, in Sikkim and other North Eastern states, banks can sanction up to 95% of the project cost, while the beneficiary is required to contribute only 5% of the total project cost. The Government provides a margin money subsidy of 25% for projects located in urban areas and 35% for those in rural areas. This subsidy is credited to the loan account and helps reduce the overall repayment burden of the beneficiary. She also provided details on the eligibility criteria for beneficiaries under the scheme, along with the financing agencies and the list of activities under the scheme. She concluded her presentation by providing details on the upgradation of existing PMEGP units and the eligibility criteria for the same.
Inspector, DIC, Mr C M Chettri, delivered a presentation on the UNNATI Scheme (Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialization Scheme). He explained that the scheme, launched by the Government of India in 2024, aims to promote industrialisation, attract investment, and generate employment across the North Eastern Region, including Sikkim. The scheme provides financial incentives to encourage the establishment of new industrial units as well as the expansion of existing ones in the manufacturing and service sectors.
Mr Chettri further highlighted that, to be eligible, enterprises must set up their operations within the North Eastern states and meet the prescribed minimum investment requirements, which are approximately ₹1 crore for manufacturing units and ₹50 lakh for service-sector units, while commencing operations within four years of registration. He also noted that the scheme offers several forms of financial support, including capital investment subsidies, interest subvention on loans, and other incentives regarding investment. These provisions help lower the cost of setting up industries and promote sustainable economic growth in the region, he said.
Consultant, RAMP, Mr Prem Chettri, delivered his presentation on various schemes such as Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP), PM Vishwakarma, ONDC, Udhyam, and PAN and GST.
The final presentation of the day was delivered by Legal Consultant, RAMP, Ms Tanushree Thapa, who spoke on Online Dispute Resolution (ODR). She explained that ODR is a modern, technology-driven mechanism for resolving disputes through online platforms, allowing parties to settle conflicts without the need for physical court appearances.
Ms Thapa highlighted that ODR combines traditional dispute resolution methods such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration with digital tools, making the process faster, more cost-effective, and accessible to people regardless of their location. She also emphasised its growing relevance in today’s digital economy, particularly for resolving e-commerce, consumer, and commercial disputes efficiently.
Today’s awareness programme concluded with an interactive question and answer session.
The welcome address was delivered by District Joint Coordinator, SEED Cell, Mr Bikash Sharma, while the vote of thanks was proposed by Panchayat President, Gnathang GPU, Ms Pema Sherpa.
Today’s programme was also attended by SHGs and other stakeholders.
