Multilateral financial institution World Bank is likely to fund projects under the flagship ‘One District, One Product’ (ODOP) scheme of UP government.
The ODOP scheme was launched on January 25, 2018, to promote the state’s traditional and indigenous industries under Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector by providing funding, training, marketing support etc.
The World Bank evinced interest to collaborate with the state under two different programmes. There is also a proposal to develop ecosystem of 14 agricultural and food processing products related to ODOP to promote entrepreneurship through integrated cluster development.
The ecosystem of other ODOP and MSME products would be handheld under schemes run by the Centre and World Bank. Earlier this week, a World Bank delegation met senior officials of MSME and Export Promotion department.
Additional Chief Secretary, MSME, Navnit Sehgal said that the state government urged the World Bank to expedite the process of extending institutional and funding support to MSME and ODOP enterprises in the state.
The MSME department briefed World Bank officials about ODOP and the UP government was working closely with different funding agencies to facilitate flow of easy credit to entrepreneurs. While 13 common facility centres had been inaugurated, 20,000 ODOP products were integrated with online platforms.
So far, about 3,000 ODOP units have been benefited with more than Rs 100 crore under margin money scheme. In order to promote ODOP products, the state government had earlier firmed up alliances with different organisations and companies, including e-commerce giant’s viz. Amazon and Ebay, to provide global marketing platforms to such products, including leather goods, textiles, wood carving, brassware, glassware, marble products, carpets etc.
The state government is planning to launch exclusive retail outlets to market such traditional products across the country.
As per the proposal, a standard ODOP outlet will span 100 sq mt in prominent markets, shopping malls, airports, railway stations etc. This will be partly financially supported by the state government and any government, semi-government or private organisation can run these outlets.
Besides, the state government is in the process of rationalising its investment and export promotion policies to attract companies exiting China owing to the resentment over outbreak of Covid pandemic. The government is targeting to augment MSME exports in the next three years to touch the ambitious Rs 3 trillion mark.