By Sachin Murdeshwar

Mumbai:  Exim Bank, India signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with Sarba Shanti Ayog (SSA) on August 19, 2019 in Kolkata. SSA has experience of over four decades in the areas of training/capacity building among artisan clusters. SSA  has a supply base of over 100 producer groups, involving 10,000 artisans engaged in 16 craft lines in a multi-tiered market, providing grass root solutions to the crafts communities in areas like Fair Trade certification, capacity building, networking and advocacy, market development, marketing support, design and product development, technical support, certification and compliance, identifying market opportunities abroad, business development, amongst others.

The MOC was signed by Mr. Utpal Gokhale, General Manager, Exim Bank, and Ms. Roopa Mehta, Secretary, SSA.

The above MOC between Exim Bank and SSA, would synergise and mutually strengthen the grassroot endeavours of both organizations, given that both promote and celebrate traditional and professional crafts and empower craftspersons by providing them sustainable livelihoods through diverse various commercial opportunities, and aiding them in their internationalization efforts.

Exim Bank’s program for strengthening grassroot enterprises, through focused capacity building / design development workshops, financial support and affording overseas market access, has witnessed consistent growth in terms of its coverage over nearly a decade. Exim Bank has supported various grassroots organizations/enterprises across different parts of the country. This partnership with SSA would help Bank to further enhance its outreach, to a wider spectrum of grassroot organizations, and supplement the Bank’s larger effort aimed at alleviating poverty through exports.