Evaluating the Role of Community Resource Person in the Establishment of the Startup Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) Ecosystem in West Bengal

The role of CRP-EPs (Community Recourse Persons for Enterprise Promotion) in Bolpur-Sriniketan and Simlapal blocks of West Bengal was analysed based on mixed quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. The selection process for CRP-EPs is an essential part of the success of the Startup Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP). The performance of CRP-EPs is measured by their maximum support to entrepreneurs in receiving the CEF Loan, its repayment, and the and the business facilitation for market linkage and bank linkage under the SVEP-Programme. The support is not limited to promotion but focuses on identifying potential entrepreneurs from the beginning with training, market, financial linkages, etc. In both blocks, entrepreneurs are using the retailer market as a mode of marketing, followed by wholesalers and other modes of marketing for business. Facebook, followed by WhatsApp and Instagram, is the online mode of marketing for entrepreneurs, guided by both CRP-EPs and the BRC (Block Resource Centre) Committee.