Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) — Development of Industries Scheme

What is the Entrepreneurship Development Programme?

Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) is a training component run by the District Industries Centre, under the Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Puducherry. The District Industries Centre lists EDP under its Training schemes, alongside In-Plant Training and Advanced or High Skill Training, and the component sits inside the department's broader Development of Industries work.

The District Industries Centre states the objective directly: the programme is meant "to develop Entrepreneurship skill among the educated unemployed for setting up of own projects towards self-employment". The programme aims to motivate the prospective entrepreneur, highlight the salient features of the project concerned, and set out the course of action to be taken for setting up and successfully running the unit.

That description matters, because it tells a reader what EDP is not. EDP is not a loan scheme, not a subsidy, and not a job placement programme. EDP is the preparatory step, the week in which a person who wants to start a laundry, a tailoring unit, a food stall or a small workshop learns what setting one up actually involves.

What does the programme cover?

The District Industries Centre describes the programme content in three parts:

1. Motivation of the prospective entrepreneur; building the confidence and the intent to run an enterprise rather than seek employment.
2. The salient features of the project concerned: what the specific line of business demands in terms of machinery, raw material, skill, premises and working capital.
3. The course of action for setting up and running the unit: registration, finance, statutory permissions and day-to-day management.

The period of training is generally one week, and the entire expenditure towards the training is met under the scheme. There is no course fee for the trainee.

Who is eligible for the Entrepreneurship Development Programme?

You can attend if:

• You are a native of the Union Territory of Puducherry, or have been resident in Puducherry for three years. This covers the Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam regions.
• You have, in the Centre's own words, a penchant for self-employment, a genuine intention to set up your own manufacturing or service unit.
• You can be assessed as having the capacity to appreciate the programme. The District Industries Centre makes this assessment; it is the only screen the programme applies.

You cannot apply if:

• You are neither a native of Puducherry nor a three-year resident. Residence is the one hard criterion.
• You are looking for a stipend, a loan or a subsidy from the programme itself. EDP does not carry any of the three. A person who wants finance is not eligible for money under EDP and should apply separately under MUPSES, PMEGP or a PIPDIC term loan.
• You want a job placement guarantee. EDP prepares a person to start a unit, not to be placed in one.

Notably, the District Industries Centre prescribes no formal educational qualification and no age limit. A person who did not finish school and a person in their fifties are both eligible, which is unusual among training schemes and is worth knowing.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Entrepreneurship Development Programme

1. Check when the next programme is scheduled. The District Industries Centre runs EDP in batches rather than continuously. Look at the Training pages and the Notice Board on dic.py.gov.in, or ask at the Centre.
2. Visit the District Industries Centre at Thattanchavady, Puducherry 605009, and ask at the Training section for the Entrepreneurship Development Programme. Applicants in Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam should approach the Technical Officer of the District Industries Centre in their region.
3. Submit the application with proof that you are a native of Puducherry or have lived in the territory for three years, along with your Aadhaar card and photographs.
4. Attend the assessment. The Centre assesses whether you can appreciate the programme, in practice a short conversation about what you want to start.
5. Attend the full week of training. The programme is short, and attendance through the week is what makes the certificate meaningful when you later approach a bank or the Centre for finance.

What should I do after completing EDP?

EDP is designed as a feeder into the finance schemes the same office runs. After completing the programme, the natural next steps in Puducherry are:

• MUPSES, Motivation of Unemployed Persons to Start Self-Employed Enterprises, the District Industries Centre's own scheme, with bank finance of Rs 10,000 to Rs 2,00,000 and a subsidy on the project cost.
• PMEGP. The Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme, which the District Industries Centre also implements in Puducherry.
• PM Vishwakarma — for traditional artisans and craftspeople, also handled by the Centre.
• PIPDIC term loans, for larger projects, through pipdic.in.

The Centre's own site carries dedicated pages for MUPSES, PMEGP and PM Vishwakarma, which is a good indication of the route it expects trainees to take.

How do I check on my application?

1. Keep the acknowledgement given when you submit the application at the District Industries Centre.
2. Contact the General Manager, District Industries Centre, Thattanchavady, Puducherry 605009; phone +91-413-2248391, and the Centre also publishes 2249392 and 2248987.
3. Watch the Notice Board and News sections of dic.py.gov.in for batch announcements.

Common reasons applications do not go through

• Residence not established, an applicant who is neither a native of Puducherry nor a three-year resident cannot be enrolled.
• No batch running. EDP is scheduled in batches, and an application filed between batches simply waits.
• No intention to set up a unit. The Centre's assessment is about whether the applicant will use the training, and an applicant looking only for a certificate does not clear it.

Key dates

The District Industries Centre does not publish a fixed annual calendar for the Entrepreneurship Development Programme. Programmes are announced as they are scheduled. The Centre's website carries a page-last-updated date on each scheme page and states that the site is next due for update by the 10th of every month, so checking monthly is reasonable.

Help and contact

• The General Manager, District Industries Centre, Thattanchavady, Puducherry 605009 to +91-413-2248391, also 2249392 and 2248987
• Email; dic_pdy[at]bsnl[dot]in
• EDP page: dic.py.gov.in/entrepreneurship-development-programme-edp
• District Industries Centre, dic.py.gov.in
• Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Puducherry, industry.py.gov.in

A note on what is published

The District Industries Centre publishes the objective, the eligibility, the absence of an age or education bar, the one-week duration and the fact that the full training expenditure is met under the scheme. It does not publish a stipend figure, a batch calendar, a downloadable application form or a number of seats per batch for EDP. This guide states only what the Centre publishes and sends readers to the Centre for the rest.