New Delhi, (IndiaPRwire.com) ICICI Bank, IBM and IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank group, have come together to provide India's small and medium-enterprises with an innovative SME toolkit, online resource centre, to help them start, finance and grow their business. The toolkit was launched at a Press Conference in Mumbai today by V Vaidyanathan, Executive Director – ICICI Bank, Inderpreet Thukral , Director, Strategy & Business Development , IBM India /South Asia and Anil Sinha, General Manager IFC Advisory Services for South Asia
The India SME Toolkit (www.india.smetoolkit.org) is a free online resource center that contains up-to-date information and tools to enable small and medium enterprises in emerging markets learn how to increase their productivity, efficiency and capacity, as well as improve their access to capital and new markets. The India toolkit is available both as online as well as offline modules which include the portal, offline CDs, mobile alerts and classroom training. The online module is available in both English and Hindi languages.
"Small businesses account for a dominant share of economic activity and employment in rapidly developing economies," said Anil Sinha, General Manager, IFC Advisory Services for South Asia. "Giving small businesses the business development services, information and tools they need, helps them grow and prosper. Already in use by SMEs in more than 20 countries around the world, the SME toolkit is truly a one-stop shop for small businesses as it helps them leapfrog to a new level of professional management.” IFC considers SME development as a key pillar to private sector growth in emerging markets
V Vaidyanathan, Executive Director, ICICI Bank, said “ The SMEs today are looking for globalisation, however effeciencies and productivity is of prima facie importance to them. The SME Toolkit India converges both these needs of an SME and is a complete online ecosystem for the SMEs.”
Shanker Annaswamy , Managing Director , IBM India /South Asia said, “IBM sees the SME Toolkit as a way to accelerate the economic development as well as job growth opportunities in India. We look forward to leveraging IBM’s Innovation leadership and vast experience of delivering business and technical solutions to SMEs globally to this project that has the potential to reach so many.”
The SME Toolkit contains information and tools to address accounting and finance, business planning, human resources, legal and insurance, marketing and sales, operations, technology, business news and tenders information.
The global resources for SME Toolkit are developed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) with technology support of IBM. Localization of SME toolkit with local content, making it multi lingual & integrating with Mobile alert has been undertaken by ICICI Bank, keeping in mind the Indian context. ICICI Bank endeavors to provide access and availability of the SME Toolkit to all SMEs in India. IBM dedicated more than $1.6 million to transform the Toolkit with open source technologies and interactive tools, business forms and management material.
The SME toolkit platform will later include new Web 2.0 features such as live chat, online forums, and interactive business directories to create a community where small and medium sized business can meet and collaborate – anywhere around the world.
