The Institute has organized a two-day policy makers’ workshop to gain insights into Bhutan’s entrepreneurial landscape, the resources that can be harnessed so that an appropriate strategy could be formulated to float an Entrepreneurship Development Centre in the country based on the feasibility study that will follow this workshop.
Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) will be setting up an Entrepreneurship Development center in Bhutan. The proposed Center will be the 6th overseas entrepreneurship development center, established by EDII with the support of the Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India, dedicated to promoting and nurturing entrepreneurship. The other countries that have seen such Centres with EDII’s efforts are Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan. As a precursor to the establishment of the Center, EDII has organized a two-day virtual policy makers’ workshop to gain insights on Bhutan’s entrepreneurial caliber and needs.
The two-day virtual session was inaugurated today. While the Chief Guest was His Excellency Lyonpo Loknath Sharma, Hon’ble Minister of Economic Affairs, Royal Government of Bhutan, the Guest of Honour was Her Excellency, Ms. Ruchira Kamboj, Ambassador, Embassy of India, Thimphu, Bhutan. Also present on the occasion were Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII; Mr. S B Sareen, Director, Dept. of Projects (Govt.), EDII; Dr. Raman Gujral, Director, Dept. of Projects (Corporate), EDII; and officials from Royal Government of Bhutan. A total of 25 policymakers from Bhutan took part in the workshop to share their experiences and participate in the process of strategy formulation.
Commenting on the initiative, His Excellency Lyonpo Loknath Sharma said that Bhutan is a country that has a beaming young population that is raring to go, and so it is important to create opportunities for them. The Honourable Minister recalled the visit of Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, and Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Industry and Commerce, to Bhutan wherein, during discussions, emphasis was placed on bolstering entrepreneurship. Hon’ble Lyonpo Loknath Sharma stressed the significance of setting up an ED center in Bhutan and added that it was heartening for him and his country that EDII is handling this very important task. He added that in Bhutan various departments and agencies are oriented towards working for the development of the youth, and urged EDII to integrate its efforts with theirs and create a wholesome and customised implementation plan.
Speaking about the initiative, Her Excellency, Ms. Ruchira Kamboj, Ambassador of India to Bhutan, said, “I am happy that today we have started discussions on the feasibility of setting up an Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Bhutan. It is the need of the hour! I am glad that EDII has undertaken this task. I am certain that the Center will work towards promoting entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial avenues in Bhutan.” Ms. Kamboj highlighted the uniqueness of Bhutan, adding that the country has managed extremely well during COVID and is gradually moving towards showcasing a very high prosperity index.
Since the past few years, the Royal Government of Bhutan has been emphasizing and showing increased commitment towards entrepreneurial activity. This is in line with their far-reaching objective of securing larger economic goals. Interestingly, most of the major policies like the Economic Development Policy, Small and Medium Industry Policy, etc., have stressed entrepreneurship. Despite these interventions, the entrepreneurship landscape of Bhutan is still at a nascent stage.
Source: Business World
