After conducting the face-to-face interviews for over three days in October to assess the readiness of the entrepreneurs— and the viability of their business— who had applied for the third cohort on entrepreneurship, we have further shortlisted candidates for the home visits to establish a rapport with them to understand their economic condition, and businesses better.
The due-diligence is also conducted at this stage to ascertain if a stable and supportive home environment exists. The round, which started on November 15, will be held until December 31, 2019. The selected candidates will receive a loan in January 2020.
This is the last round of the selection process, which started in August with a month-and-half-long Prachaar campaign, during which over 1200 entrepreneurs from the districts of Nainital, Almora and Bageshwar in Uttarakhand expressed interest in receiving financial assistance and mentorship for two years.
About the Cohort
The cohort, started in 2017 as a pilot project to promote rural entrepreneurship in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, has so far provided loan and mentorship to around 50 entrepreneurs.
The core belief behind this project was: The rural entrepreneurs create jobs for themselves and for others. They also become role models and help others start businesses. This leads to an overall increase in employment opportunities. With more employment and business opportunities, people in Rural Uttarakhand will have a choice to either stay back or migrate or come back to the hills.
The majority of the entrepreneurs who have received assistance are in agriculture, animal husbandry, tourism and shops. Though our entrepreneurs, we aim to create, directly or indirectly, 1200 jobs by 2022.
