Strengthening the policy/legal/regulatory framework
The Project aims at playing a significant role in attending to key policy, legal and regulatory issues that are critical in establishing a facilitating framework that promotes MSME sector. The Project carries out a wide range of initiatives, through various forms of policy advocacy tools. These advocacy tools aim at reaching out and deliver message to policy makers to enable them to make an informed policy decision. Initiatives also involve creation and promotion of information booklets to disseminate information on new and existing ideas of relevance.
The Project’s policy advocacy component is mentored by the Policy Advisory Group which renders guidance and inputs on strategic issues as well as future interventions.
Broad activities under Policy Advocacy are mainly targeted at Technology, Credit and Marketing Information need, development aspects & information asymmetry among MSMEs.
Challenge Fund for Advocacy in MSME Sector (ACF)
(Challenge fund for Advocacy in MSME Sector – Link to be provided) is an internationally tested approach to enable an actor [Industry/Business Association, NGOs, Media, Developmental Organization/Consultant/Professional who have documented experience in advocacy issues of MSMEs] to influence another actor/ body [including policy makers] for removing barriers and bottlenecks that hinder the MSME Sector development. It promotes action based advocacy preferably on initiatives that have either been tried or tested or can be tested/scaled up - backed by lessons learned / research findings.
Need of challenge fund
The need for challenge fund is felt to facilitate:
- Augmenting of delivery capacity/ of the MSMEs, Industry Associations etc.
- Strengthening of indigenous advocacy groups
- Availability of concrete information on policy issues
- Flagging of the emergent concerning issues of MSMEs.
Some of the Examples of the type of initiatives that are considered for funding under the fund:
- Advanced Surveys / studies to gather evidence in support of policy changes, demonstrate its solution and validate it before documenting the suggestions.
- Suggestions on refinement in existing policies which affect MSMEs.
- Seminars, workshops and meetings to facilitate policy dialogue within the Private Sector, and between the Private Sector and the Government.