The financial grant for the E-Championship Challenge, a state government scheme for entrepreneurs, has been doubled to Rs 10 lakh.
This was announced here today by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma at the launch announcement of the third edition.
During an interaction with entrepreneurs at the PRIME Hub in Polo, Sangma said that interest free loans have also been doubled to Rs 50 lakh.
The CM urged the entrepreneurs present at the event to encourage others to take the plunge. He also said that, while Meghalaya has been recognised for its entrepreneurial ecosystem, more needs to be done.
“We just want to assure the help we can give. We will get to do more as the time comes but let’s start with something,” Sangma said.
A business school graduate himself, the Chief Minister noted that July 12 is also the same day that he began an internet services business in Meghalaya some 22 years ago.
Sangma said that being an entrepreneur allowed him to understand firsthand what entrepreneurs go through when they try to do things in the state. He added that it created a roadmap for him on what he should do if he ever got the opportunity to make a difference.
“If I were to be asked what is the most difficult change to bring in a society or in a state or in a country, then it is the change in the mindset of people,” he said. “You can bring all the change you want in terms of development. You can bring the change in terms of the infrastructure but all of it doesn’t matter unless you change the mindset of the people in your society.”
The mindset change he was referring to was to inculcate the entrepreneurial spirit, as he said that people tend towards being risk-averse.
“I am happy to see that what we are able to achieve today through this ecosystem that we created is that change in the mindset of people to take risk, to take calculated risk, to think differently,” Sangma added.
