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Rais Shaikh Seeks Minority Business Centres Across Maharashtra

Rais Shaikh Seeks Minority Business Centres Across Maharashtra
SP MLA Rais Shaikh Seeks Minority Entrepreneurship Centres In Six Maharashtra Divisions To Boost Youth Start-Ups · freepressjournal.in

Rais Shaikh wants Maharashtra to create business-support centres for young people from minority communities.

He suggested opening one in each of the state’s six revenue divisions.

These centres could teach business skills and provide mentors.

They could also help young people prepare business plans and find other resources.

Shaikh said poverty causes many Muslim students to leave school before finishing higher education.

He believes entrepreneurship can give these young people another path to earning a living.

He said existing training institutions help some communities, but a minority-focused institute is not yet working.

The proposed centres could help more than 1,000 young people in each division start small businesses every year.

Key facts

Proposal
Six Minority Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation Centres, one in each Maharashtra revenue division.
Proponent
Rais Shaikh, a Samajwadi Party MLA.
Target group
Young men and women from minority communities seeking to start micro and small businesses.
Population figures cited
Shaikh said minorities make up around 20% of Maharashtra’s population and Muslims account for 11.54%.
Education figures cited
He claimed a 30% dropout rate among Muslim students at the 10th and 12th standard levels and said about 10% reach higher education.
Proposed annual reach
More than 1,000 young people in each revenue division could establish businesses every year.
Potential financial partner
The Maulana Azad Minorities Financial Development Corporation could connect beneficiaries with loan schemes and financial assistance.

Quotes

Rais Shaikh

Samajwadi Party MLA who proposed entrepreneurship and business incubation centres for minority youth in Maharashtra

“Due to poverty, there is a 30% dropout rate among Muslim students at the 10th and 12th standard levels. Barely 10% of Muslim youth reach higher education. There is a need to encourage students who have been pushed out of the education system by providing them with opportunities for skill development and entrepreneurship.”
freepressjournal.in

Sources

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