EDII celebrates 40 years of entrepreneurship development, education, training and institution building

In a landmark moment, the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) celebrated four decades of entrepreneurship education, training, research, and institution building on Thursday, April 20, at the institute’s campus. Shri Acharya Devvrat, Hon’ble Governor of Gujarat, was the chief guest. The pioneering institute was founded in 1983 with the support of the IDBI Bank, IFCI, ICICI Bank, and State Bank of India (SBI) and Govt. of Gujarat.

The event was inaugurated in the presence of Shri Rakesh Sharma, President- EDII and MD & CEO, IDBI Bank Ltd; Dr Milind Kamble, EDII Governing Board Member, Chair, 40-year Celebration Committee & Founder Chairman, DICCI; Dr Sailendra Narain, EDII Governing Board Member and Former Chairman & Managing Director, SIDBI, Dr Sunil Shukla, Director General-EDII, and dignitaries from the Government, corporates and the academia.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Acharya Devvrat, said, “Degrees do not mean skill and competencies. 60 percent of youth in India possess degrees but this does not make them relevant to cater to the market demands. There is a great dichotomy between the degrees that universities and colleges give and the requirement of skillsets in the market. But that does not mean that the youth are not creative; they can blossom if they are mentored, counselled, trained, handheld, and oriented well, they need to be aligned with innovations and technical progress so that they deliver tangible performance. Such a platform, which the New Education Policy also envisages, will make India progressive as it also has the advantage of a demographic dividend. I am glad we have institutions like EDII that are complementing efforts in this direction through training and motivation. My compliments to EDII."

Commenting on the robust startup ecosystem in India, Shri Rakesh Sharma, said, “We are witnessing a growing trust in entrepreneurship; the willingness of students to break free from the job-seeking mindset, think innovatively and float sustainable startups. Year after year, we see an increase in the number of people enrolling for EDII’s PG and other programmes. Other institutions and universities have also started offering courses on entrepreneurship today, and that speaks volumes about EDII’s contribution towards making entrepreneurship a conscious career option.”

Emphasizing the significance of inclusive growth, Dr Milind Kamble said, “Entrepreneurship helps promote inclusive growth which is a need for India. Successful entrepreneurship does not always mean big industries or manufacturing units in towns and cities, it also means opportunities for the people living in the villages of India, for the marginalized, the differently abled, and the women. Only then a country can progress. Entrepreneurship gives an opportunity to include people in growth. EDII has demonstrated this through its interventions.”

In his address, Dr Sunil Shukla, said, “EDII was set up much against the apprehensions that entrepreneurship cannot be taught. 40 years later when we see the ‘Made in India’ tag, an increasingly respected brand, valued for quality, reliability, and competitiveness, it feels good. EDII has played a role in bringing Indian entrepreneurs this far. Given the prominence that this discipline has gained and the emphasis that the Government is placing on promoting entrepreneurship, the day is not far away when India will be cited as one of the foremost entrepreneurial and startup destinations. ”

As part of the celebration, the institute released a book documenting its 40-year journey and a film highlighting EDII’s various domains of work and its achievements. The dignitaries also inaugurated an exhibition of EDII-trained artisans, incubatees, and the differently-abled.