Rourkela:22/10/26: The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, through the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC), is supporting livelihood promotion and entrepreneurship development for Scheduled Tribe (ST) youth through the Livelihood Business Incubation Centre in Rourkela, Odisha. A Tripartite MoU was signed on 22.10.2026 between the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation under Ministry of Tribal Affairs, National Skill Development Corporation (NSIC) under Ministry of Medium and Small-Scale Industries (MSME), and Steel Authority of India Ltd. – Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP, Rourkela) under the Ministry of Steel.
Focus on skill development and sustainable livelihoods:
Economic empowerment is more effective when it focuses on upgrading skills and processes by providing the required skills. Enrichment of skills and knowledge has to be intricately linked with the funding structure to facilitate the creation of sustainable livelihood systems among the STs. Capacity building in specific job roles and imparting basic knowledge on financial aspects of marketing and branding are vital requirements for budding entrepreneurs.
Livelihood Business Incubation Centre at Rourkela:
Livelihood Incubation Centre at Rourkela, Odisha, was established in 201andch has been recognized as a Centre of Excellence by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, which is one such major step. This is a unique collaborative effort of three Ministries of the Government of India and three Central level Apex PSUs under them, namely, National Skill Development Corporation (NSIC) under Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Steel Authority of India Ltd. - Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP, Rourkela) under the Ministry of Steel, and National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation underthe Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
Training and entrepreneurship development:
The basic objective of the center is to provide training, skill development and entrepreneurship development programmes to local ST youths to promote sustainable enterprises. The idea is to raise confidence, improve productivity, and give direction through proper livelihood creation by the synergy of training and hand-holding.
Courses covered for the students from the ST community in the current year are Assistant Beautician, Self-Employed Tailor, Assistant Computer Operator (Tally & Accounting), Assistant Electrician, Bread & Bakery Manufacturing, Mushroom Farming. Accordingly, the site is to be provided by Rourkela Steel Plant; plant and Machinery are installed under the ASPIRE scheme of MSME, and the recurring expenses of the center are being borne by NSTFDC through a rgrantfrom the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.