New Delhi, June 26 (IANS) Ministry of MSME’s ASPIRE programme has approved 109 Livelihood Business Incubators (LBI) across 27 States and Union Territories, trained over 1.23 lakh beneficiaries, an official statement said on Friday.

Since systematic tracking of the program began in FY 2022-23, ASPIRE-supported incubators have also facilitated the establishment of more than 1,200 micro-enterprises across the country.

ASPIRE has reached over 8,700 SC beneficiaries, above 9,600 ST beneficiaries and more than 17,600 OBC beneficiaries, helping make entrepreneurship more inclusive and accessible.

The Ministry of MSME launched the ASPIRE Scheme in 2015 to promote entrepreneurship and employment generation, particularly in rural and agro-based sectors.

ASPIRE is centred around a growing network of Livelihood Business Incubators (LBIs) that help individuals move from skill acquisition to enterprise creation.

LBIs are supporting enterprises in areas such as food processing, honey production, bamboo products, mushroom cultivation, spice processing, handicrafts and coir products.

By providing training, mentoring and incubation support, ASPIRE enables aspiring entrepreneurs in agro-rural sectors and promotes innovations for strengthening the competitiveness in the MSME sector.

These incubators provide access to modern equipment, business mentoring and technology support. Entrepreneurs are also assisted with product development, branding, accreditation, regulatory compliance, market linkages and access to finance, helping them navigate the journey from idea to enterprise.

The scheme operates through a three-tier architecture comprising the Scheme Steering Committee, designated Mentor Institutes and Host Institutions that operate the LBIs. Mentor Institutes play a crucial role in identifying incubators, preparing project plans, designing incubation programmes, strengthening implementation and monitoring outcomes.

The incubation ecosystem brings together institutes such as Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati, agricultural universities, technical institutes and premier institutions such as IIT Jodhpur.

The government cited the example of Banshailang Marbaniang of Mawsynram, Meghalaya, who used training from IIE Guwahati to start a food‑processing enterprise and later attended Republic Day celebrations as one of ten North‑East entrepreneurs invited to Kartavya Path.

—IANS

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