IIM Sambalpur National SC-ST Hub Partnership Aims To Boost Grassroots Entrepreneurship

IIM Sambalpur Partners with National SC-ST Hub to Promote Grassroots Entrepreneurship

SUMMARY

January 19th, 2026| Sambalpur: IIM Sambalpur, one of India’s premier management institutions, hosted the 6-day Business Accelerator Program for SC-ST entrepreneurs in collaboration with the National SC-ST Hub, Ministry of MSME, GOI, from 19th to 24th January, 2026. The objective of this programme is to strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem by building capacity and upskilling SC-ST entrepreneurs with essential business, financial, and digital skills, in alignment with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The event was graced by Prof. Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur, Mr. Sambit Tripathy, Ex- IRS, CMD, Livelihood Alternatives, as the Chief Guest, Dr. Anupam Gayen, Zonal Head, NSIC, as the Guest of Honour, Ms. Nibedita Nayak, Former Chairperson, Odisha State Social Welfare Board, as the Keynote Speaker.

The programme consists of 12 days of training, including 6 days of on-campus sessions at IIM Sambalpur and 6 days of online learning, followed by 6 months of handholding support for participating entrepreneurs. The first cohort of the Business Accelerator Programme included 25 participants from Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. The second cohort of the Business Accelerator Program will commence in February 2026, offering a 72-hour hybrid learning experience through virtual weekend sessions and a 6-day on-campus module at IIM Sambalpur.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur, “IIM Sambalpur’s vision is to nurture responsible leaders with an entrepreneurial mind-set. Entrepreneurship is not just about creating wealth for oneself; it is about creating value for society, the nation, and the planet. India’s vision of Viksit Bharat cannot be achieved by building only large corporations; we must nurture responsible entrepreneurs at the grassroots who innovate without harming the environment or displacing communities. Aligned with National Education Policy 2020, entrepreneurship must focus on knowledge creation, innovation, and responsible wealth generation through modern technology.”

Addressing the gathering the Chief Guest, Mr. Sambit Tripathy, Ex- IRS, CMD, Livelihood Alternatives, added, “Developing robust business plans, refining ideas, and building capacity, along with understanding the fundamentals of what we produce, consume, and how we communicate, are essential to excel in entrepreneurship.”

The Guest of Honour, Ms. Nibedita Nayak, Former Chairperson, Odisha State Social Welfare Board, highlighted, “IIM Sambalpur stands at the confluence of knowledge, aspiration, and nation-building, and I congratulate IIM Sambalpur for introducing a programme that is not merely an academic initiative but a national milestone. Today, SC-ST entrepreneurship matters more than ever because inclusive growth is no longer a choice; it is an economic necessity.”

Through this initiative, IIM Sambalpur once again highlighted its commitment to fostering inclusive, sustainable, and innovation-driven entrepreneurship by supporting SC-ST entrepreneurs in scaling their ventures, generating local employment, and contributing to India’s grassroots economic development.

About IIM Sambalpur:

IIM Sambalpur is one of the premier management institutions in the country and is widely known for its quality education. Spread over approximately 200 acres of land, the breathtaking and spectacular permanent campus of IIM Sambalpur was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, on 3rd February 2024. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone on 2nd January 2021, via video conferencing. Furthermore, the Union Education Minister, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, recently inaugurated the Incubation Centre, I-Hub Foundation, to promote startups and the ‘Rangavati Centre of Excellence in Cultural and Sustainable Management’. It also has tie-ups with Flipkart, Amazon, and SIDBI to support, promote and connect regional weavers with global platforms.

Equipped with sustainable practices and modernized facilities, the campus values its regional art by mapping the traditional IKAT, patterned textile-dyeing technique onto the brick façade. The institute is also leading a visionary project to make Sambalpur the first sustainable city in India. The institute is committed to providing excellent management education, harbouring a sense of entrepreneurship, and developing socially responsible leaders. IIM Sambalpur is known for its two-year flagship MBA Programme, and admissions are held via CAT. It also offers an MBA for working professionals at the Delhi Centre at ISID, Vasant Kunj, providing options for a dual-degree Programme in partnership with French universities.

Furthermore, in addition to the Executive MBA Programme, the premier institute offers a PhD, Executive PhD, Bachelor’s Programme in Data Science & AI and Management & Public Policy, and Management Development Programme (MDP). IIM Sambalpur has played a torchbearer role for other IIMs in terms of gender-diverse classrooms. To further enhance classroom engagement, the institute has integrated an AI-powered platform in collaboration with Breakout Learning Inc. to moderate and evaluate small group discussions as part of its MBA pedagogy. IIM Sambalpur cut-off is 92 percentile. IIM Sambalpur’s MBA fee is INR 13.04 Lakh, whereas IIM Sambalpur’s average package stood at INR 16.64 LPA and IIM Sambalpur’s highest package stood at INR 64.61 LPA for the 2023 batch.