THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

ROURKELA, OCTOBER 23, 2026

 The Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), a unit of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), has joined hands with the National Small Industries Corporation Ltd (NSIC) and the National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC) to boost skill development, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihood opportunities for underprivileged tribal youth in Odisha's Sundargarh district and adjoining areas.

A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this effect was signed on October 22 at LBI, Rourkela, with a focus on equipping Scheduled Tribe (ST) youth with market-oriented vocational skills to improve their employability, encourage self-employment and promote economic self-reliance.

The MoU was signed by O P Singh, Senior General Manager (TTDV) and SBU Head of NSIC; Bismita Das, Assistant General Manager of NSTFDC; and Tapankumar G Kanekar, Chief General Manager (TS and CSR) of RSP.

The signing ceremony was attended by T Roumuan Paite, Chairman and Managing Director of NSTFDC and Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, along with senior officials of the participating organisations.

Under the initiative, vocational training will be imparted in six trades — self-employment tailoring, assistant beautician, assistant computer operator, bread and bakery manufacturing, mushroom farming, and electrician training.

The programmes are designed to provide beneficiaries with practical, industry-relevant and market-oriented skills, enabling them to explore employment opportunities, establish small enterprises and generate sustainable sources of income.

A key feature of the initiative is its emphasis on women's empowerment, with women expected to constitute more than 60 per cent of the beneficiaries. The focus is aimed at expanding women's access to vocational training, strengthening their financial independence and enhancing their participation in income-generating activities.

The collaboration brings together RSP's corporate social responsibility initiatives and the institutional expertise of NSIC and NSTFDC to support inclusive development and improve livelihood prospects for marginalised tribal communities.

The partnership is expected to create new avenues for skill enhancement, entrepreneurship and income generation among tribal youth, while contributing to the broader socio-economic development of Sundargarh district and surrounding areas.

Through the initiative, the three organisations have reaffirmed their commitment to tribal welfare, women's empowerment and sustainable livelihood generation, with the broader objective of enabling disadvantaged communities to move towards greater economic independence.