Entrepreneurial Development in Handloom Sector through Effective Strategy Formulation: An Empirical Study in Odisha, state of India

Abstract

The handloom sector is yet to produce an ample size of entrepreneurship despite its potential in the globalization era. However, even after continuous intervention by the Government and other entities, the sector has miserably failed in creating an entrepreneurial climate for the community. The study identifies numerous factors responsible for these conditions and suggests suitable interventions and strategies to alter the situation that exists. Therefore, two prominent handloom clusters have been taken in India and the primary study was conducted in both the clusters using a qualitative approach. The findings of the study reveal a that number of skilled and semi-skilled weavers express to join as an entrepreneur if their issues and development factors like better credit system, a research center for trend forecasting at the local level, technological upgradation, regular quality training, feeling of ownership of stakeholders, and incubation center, etc., could be taken care of by the Government and other private-entity companies and NGOs. Besides, most of the master weavers claim that lack of getting entrepreneurial status is debarred from the government benefits although they are already into handloom enterprises. Although the Government has many schemes for their upliftment, not a single weaver from the communities, has registered himself as a business entity under the companies' act or even operate as a sole proprietor. So, there is an opportunity for entrepreneurship in the cluster if impeding issues are considered and implemented.