Constraints on Women Entrepreneurship Development in Kerala: An ...

They were also advised to hold discussions periodically about the actual state of affairs of
their units with their bank managers especially when the units were turning sick. It is the bank
manager who forwards the information of the units to the department, upon which the revival
assistance to the sick units is processed. The consultant observed that most often the entrepreneurs
withhold facts about their units from the banks, a practice which curtails their
chances of getting the assistance for which they are entitled. While the profitable units
suppress the actual figures fearing compulsions from lenders for early repayment of loans or
fearing about possible rise in interest rates, the loss-making units withhold information for
fear of punitive measures from lenders. They were informed that both these approaches were
unwise and harmful.
The procedure for participating in government exhibitions, details of IRDP stalls, industrial
plot allotment, and procedure for procuring export license was also explained and the addresses
of the offices / officers in each case were supplied. The participants were also
informed about the availability of services of Industrial Extension Officers (IEOs), posted in
all block panchayats, a new piece of information for most of them.
EDP training is conducted by different government and non-government agencies. Nearly
90 percent of the participants had little prior knowledge of EDP training. Two important
loan schemes, IRDP and PMRY, were also brought to the attention of the participants, the
former issued from Block Development Offices and the other, from District Industries Centres.
Financial management
The consultant for financial management was Dr Jaya S. Anand, Associate Professor, Institute
for Management in Government, Thiruvananthapuram. The fact that the entrepreneurs
perceived financial assistance and financial management as one and the same in itself was a
revelation. It became clear during discussions that the participants did not attach as much
importance to financial management as to securing financial assistance.
The advantages of keeping a well-maintained accounts system in business was emphasised.
Guidelines were given to participants for maintaining Accounts Diaries of credit and debit
transactions. They were told the importance of cash budget in managing finance properly. A
cash budget format was provided to the participants. They accepted the classification of
expenditure into permanent (e.g. rent, loan, salary, etc) and temporary (e.g. cloth, thread,
etc.) as an entirely new concept. The advice rendered to them was to find out the ‘break
even point’ even before buying raw materials. The method to find that point was explained in
simple terms.
Consultation on banking
Mr Joseph Fernandez, Director of Administration, Khadi and Village Industries (KVIB) and
Mr Sasidharan, Manager, Indian Overseas Bank, were the consultants on banking. Details on
the Khadi Board schemes not only provided technical guidance but also information on marketing
facilities available to entrepreneurs. The two types of schemes in KVIB, one in which
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