The Centre for Indigenous Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the School of Tribal Resource Management, KISS-DU jointly organized a one-day workshop on the ‘Sensitization-cum-Awareness Programme’ for the students on 7th May 2022.
Describing the genesis of the Centre for Indigenous Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Professor Deepak Kumar Behera, Vice-Chancellor, KISS-DU said, “It is difficult to get a breakthrough for the students, so our responsibility is to skill them. In an innovative initiative, we have asked our students to do the profiling of their villages, inclusive of human, materials, infrastructure resources, etc. We should also have information about forest produce and crop production. Our students are our strength, and the onus of establishing forward-backward linkage lies with us”. Referring to the importance of Educate, Enable and Enable – the 3E formula of Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS, he stated that with out-of-the-box thinking, many women entrepreneurs can emerge from KISS.
Mr. Gagan Bihari Nayak, General Manager, District Industries Centres (DICs), highlighted the various schemes, policies, and skill-based training programmes offered by the Ministry of Small & Medium Enterprises. He explained the set-ups of DICs in multiple districts of Odisha and how the students can draw benefits once they have completed their formal education. Mr. Nayak also spoke about Skill India and Atma Nirbhar Bharat. He threw light on various women-based initiatives, manufacturing, service industries, and various portals of MSME. He concluded by appreciating the vocational training being imparted at KISS and KISS-DU.
Mr. Sampad Kumar Nayak, Assistant Manager, DICs said that being able to create jobs is the most significant contribution to the country. He urged the students to delve into the various specialties of their respective districts to get ideas for setting up enterprises. Mr. S.C. Badu, IPO, DICs said, “Our primary purpose is to facilitate your wishes and desires and help you stand on your feet”. The DIC fraternity felicitated a successful entrepreneur from Bhubaneswar. He also shared his journey to encourage and motivate the students.
Dr. Prashanta Kumar Routray, Registrar, KISS-DU, and CEO of KISS, spoke about the purpose of mentoring in the context of KISS and KISS-DU. Talking about the importance of education, he reiterated the Founder’s philosophy – “Education is the third eye of a child” and the only weapon with which they can achieve sustainable livelihood.
Earlier, Dr. Snigdharani Panda, Dean of School of Tribal Resource Management, KISS-DU, introduced the guests. The students participated in the question and answer round. The workshop concluded with words of thanks by Professor Jagannath Lenka, Professor Emeritus, KISS-DU.