Nodal Officers Workshop

held on 14-18 and 20-24 March, 2005 held at MANAGE, Hyderabad

          Two workshops for Nodal officers of Agriclinics and Agribusiness centre scheme training institutes  were organized at MANAGE on the above dates.

          The workshops aimed at reviewing the progress, identification of weak areas and suggesting corrective measures. These workshops were attended by nodal officers, officers from NABARD and other stakeholders.  The recommendations of workshops are as follows.

RECOMMENDATION OF THE WORKSHOPS

I.            ADMISSION :

1. Issue: Whether agri-graduates belonging to other states can be given admission.

Recommendation: Agrigraduates of other states must not be given admission

2. Issue: How to attract the potential agripreneurs.

Recommendation:          training Institutions can approach all the past trainees, district level task force to promote the Scheme by attracting the unemployed agri-graduates to the Scheme.

3. Issue: There is lack of parental involvement in the decision of the candidates for admission for the training programme.

Recommendation:  In order to involve the parents in the decision of the trainee, at least a letter of consent from the parents may be produced at the time of admission and attempts must be made to involve parents. .

4. Issue: Whether financial status of the trainee should be obtained at the time of admission.

Recommendation:            Financial background of trainees may be collected, if it is going to support in assessing his suitability for admission.

5. Issue: Whether agri-graduates of open universities and graduates having agri- subjects from other universities are eligible.

Recommendation:  Only graduates from the ICAR approved Agricultural/ Veterinary & Animal Sciences/ Fisheries universities should be considered eligible.

6. Issue: Whether applicants from other disciplines such as Business Management should be admitted in group projects.

Recommendation:  No candidates other than agriculture and allied graduates may be admitted

II.            TRAINING METHODOLOGY

7. Issue: Whether all training organizations should follow common methodology.

Recommendation: While innovations and novel approaches may be encouraged, motivational classes, exposure to potential projects,  core courses, exposure visits,  should be incorporated by all the centres, in Phase I;  in Phase II, Market Survey and in Phase III, Project Preparation as per the standard training schedule.

8. Issue: The content of the training programme is overshadowed by the mandate of the training institution.

Recommendation:  It is the responsibility of the Nodal Officer to ensure the need based content and training methodology without getting pressurising the candidate to any specific  activity.  However, if the training institution had any specialization, they should select only candidates opting for that activity.

9. Issue: Many trainees are not aware of the Handholding provisions.

Recommendation: A few sessions on handholding may  be included in the time-table in order to make the trainees aware of the Handholding provisions.

III.            TRAINING MANAGEMENT

10. Issue: Rigidity in the honorarium to be paid to the Resource Persons.

Recommendation:  Many a time a very good resource person could be invited only when honorarium is paid that could cover one’s preparatory expenses and a good compensation for his time. Rigidity in the honorarium paid may deprive the trainees of a good resource person. Therefore, honorarium may be paid without any rigid stipulations, depending on the merit of the resource person.  But the expenditure must be within the sub-head wise expenditure ceiling.

11. Issue: Whether the forfeited amount of Rs. 1000/- each from the dropouts could be adjusted against the training amount. 

Recommendation:  The forfeited amount of Rs. 1000/- each from the dropouts may be adjusted against the training amount. 

IV.            PROBLEMS IN TRAINING INSTITURE

12. Issue: Frequent change of Nodal Officer.

Recommendation: As far as possible frequent change of Nodal Officer may be avoided. Frequent change affects the Scheme, because the new Nodal Officer may take time to get into the scheme of things of the training programme.

13. Issue: Inadequate Infrastructure

Recommendation:  Since the authorities of the training institutions have singed an MOU, it is the responsibility of the training institutions to provide required infrastructure for the training programme. However, since the Nodal Officer/Training Coordinators is required to be in constant touch, provision for a cell phone may be made. The expenditure may be booked under training / handholding fund based on the use.

14. Issue: Handholding services suffer in certain states, because of discontinuation of training institutions.

Recommendation:            Wherever Handholding Services suffer because of discontinuation of training institutions, one of the  remaining organizations may be given the responsibility of providing handholding services.

Orissa-CRRI batch may be allotted to CHD, Andhra Pradesh:--          NARDI batches may be allotted to CED & PRDIS

V.            HANDHOLDING

15. Issue:  Whether a Single Window Clearance Agency   could be created at State Level.

Recommendation: Government of India should be requested to create a Single Window  Clearing Agency approved by all the  banks at State level.

16.  Issue: Whether self-financed units should be considered for releasing of Handholding Funds of Rs. 5000/-, as approved earlier.

Recommendation: For the established units either through the bank loan or self-finance, Rs. 5000/- may be released.

17. Issue: How to provide handholding support to Nodal Officers of training institutions where the performance is low?

Recommendation:  Nodal Officers of successful training centres can provide mentorship to the Nodal Officers of training centres where the performance is low.  It includes at least one visit (per training programme) of Nodal Officers of successful training centres to the training institutes where the performance is low, apart from other supporting activities.  The concerned training institutions should be given free hand to call and pay for the expenditure for such hand holding visits. The expenditure for such handholding visits should be borne by the training institution where the performance is low within the handholding amount provided.

18. Issue: There is no inter-institutional mechanism for mutual support for training and handholding

Recommendation: Electronic Discussion Forum  for Nodal Officers can be created and moderated by MANAGE

19. Issue: whether State Chapters of Agripreneurs Association of India can be promoted and strengthened by the Nodal Officers.

Recommendation: All the Nodal Officers of the respective state may find ways of promoting State Chapters of Agripreneurs Association of India

20. Issue: There is no preferential treatment for the trainees in any of the State/Central Schemes

Recommendation:            Preference may given to the trainees in the State / Central Government Schemes.

21. Issue: How to invigorate the inconsistent handholding services.

Recommendations:          (1). Communication through telephone, letters, email  on monthly basis and  a visit once in four months may be undertaken. (2) Institute level Interface of the trainees once in a year may be organized (3) Promote and strengthen the  Agripreneurs Associations and utilize their services in handholding. (4) For better inter-institutional coordination may be maintained by training institutes in a state.

22 Issue: There is no regular reporting of the progress of the Training Programme / Handholding Support.

Recommendation:          Monthly  & Quarterly Reports, Report of innovations and Report of Success Stories may be sent regularly by the training institutions to MANAGE in the format provided for the purpose.

23.  Issue: There is no subsidy or any viable financial concession in the Scheme for the agrigraduates;

Recommendation:

(1)      There should be capital subsidy (back ended) on par with KVIC/NHB, etc. for credit facilities.

(2) A subsidy in the interest rate/ soft loan may also be considered.

24. Issue: The procedure of getting a license is lengthy and complex

Recommendation: In issuing license for any sort of agriculture related business/ shop, preference should be given to ACABC trainees.

25. Issue: There is no single document containing all the schemes related to agriculture & rural development.

Recommendation: The SFAC should compile & provide a document containing all the schemes of various departments of GOI.

VI.            SUCCESS STORIES

26. Issue: Whether jobs accepted after the training in the private sector/ agribusiness companies should be treated as success story.

Recommendation:             Employment in a private sector accepted after Agriclinics  & Agribusiness Training must not be considered as success story

27. Issue: What should be the criteria for considering a case to be a success story?

Recommendation: Accomplishment of the objectives of this scheme by a trained agripreneur, must be considered as a success story.

VII.            FINANCE

28. Issue: Whether there should be any provision for re-appropriation of amount under different sub-heads?

Recommendation: The nodal officer should be empowered to re-appropriate the allocated funds under different heads to the extent of 20 per cent; limited to the overall ceiling

29. Issue: There is no financial provision for pre-training correspondence, publicity, inaugural/valedictory and travel, etc., in the present guidelines. Auditors object to such expenses and demand separate provision

Recommendation: A separate provision for postage, telephone bills, publicity, inaugural / valedictory and transport etc., may be made to meet the pre-training expenses. Further, there should be a separate head named as ‘miscellaneous’. Separate funds under the head of field visits, market survey, project report preparation, etc. for a specific project, etc. should be provided.

30. Issue; Whether there should be any change in the breakup of training expenses including handholding charges

Recommendation:  The revised break up of expenditure proposed is as follows

Accordingly modifications may be made in the utilization certificate

31.  Issue : Should there be any change in the receipts and payments account for handholding support

Recommendation: Item (e) should be added in the format of utilization certificate as follows (e) Any other activity related to handholding activities mentioned in the guidelines

VIII.            MONITORING

32. Issue: The multi agency monitoring is creating hurdles in effective functioning of the scheme.

Recommendation: There should be a single agency for monitoring, evaluating and auditing.

IX.            RECOMMENDATIONS BY MINISTRY OFFICIALS DURING WORKSHOP

          Recommendations made by Ministry officials are listed below. In order to avoid repetition, the issues which are not covered by I to VIII are listed below.

33.             Performance of training centers needs to be critically evaluated, non-performers dropped and if need be fresh institutes inducted for the training task. (Action: MANAGE)

34. The institutional training programme should focus on “agripreneurship development” with more emphasis on interface with successful cases. (Action:  training institutes / MANAGE)

35. Self Help Groups (SHGs) promoted under various programmes should be linked with Agri-Clinic activities.  These SHGs could pay for the services extended by the Agri-Clinics. (Action: training institutes)

36.  2-3 trained candidates should be promoted for establishing joint venture,  institutional credit extended for such ventures would be sizable and would be able to  bear the initial risks. (Action: training institutes)

37.  Bank credit extended for Agriclinic ventures available at the interest rate of 12-14% as against directives of NABARD on lower interest rates  (7-8%). (Action: NABARD)

38.  The local Bankers, as reported by training institutes still insist for collateral security even for the loans up to 5 lakhs.  (Action: NABARD)

39.  NABARD in collaboration with the Commercial Banks, Regional rural Banks and Cooperative Banks should organize Orientation Workshops for the Branch Managers at Divisional / District levels.  Such Orientation Workshops would facilitate their understanding on the strength, employment potential and dissemination effect of Agriclinic scheme.  (Action: NABARD)

40.  List of trained candidates, made available by MANAGE  to the Bankers needs immediate updating as many of the candidates were found to be not available to the Bankers. (Action: training institutes / MANAGE)

41.  State Governments should be involved in promoting the Agriclinic programme by associating such clinics in input delivery chain.  (Action: GOI)

42.  The Branch Managers should expedite clearance of the pending project proposals posed by the agripreneurs.  (Action: NABARD)

43.  Target of training 500 Agriculture Graduates in J & K has been set in the Prime Minister’s special package.  MANAGE and State Nodal Training Centres in J & K (2) should develop action plan to meet the target set. The local bankers and State level agencies should be involved in the process. (Action: MANAGE / training institutes in J & K / NABARD)

Gujarat Agro Industries Development Corporation has been promoting agripreneurship by involving Agricultural Graduates and Diploma holders in input management activities. The experiment has been found to be quite successful. Other States may be requested to go for such arrangement.  (Action: GOI)