The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), Shillong, under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, successfully organised a webinar on recently, for awareness and sensitization of the Corporate Mitra Scheme among the youth, students, MSMEs, professionals and enterprises of Arunachal Pradesh.

The webinar was conducted as part of the Corporate Mitra Scheme Awareness Campaign for the Northeast Region (NER), in collaboration with Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU)-Arunachal Pradesh and support of The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI) - as the lead co-host and the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) – as the support co-host.

The Scheme aims to empower MSMEs, primarily in the Tier-3 & 2 cities, by supporting them in playing their part in the larger vision of a Viksit Bharat @ 2047. The scheme embodies the vision of a formalized, financially sustainable, and a thriving MSME sector by creating a strong support ecosystem for the MSMEs, through facilitating access to a pool of qualified, accredited and trusted para professionals “Corporate Mitras”.

The Corporate Mitras are envisaged to provide accessible, affordable, and quality compliance and business support services to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), while creating a pool of trained para-professionals by equipping young graduates with industry-relevant knowledge and practical skills. The initiative is expected to strengthen the MSME ecosystem and enhance employment opportunities, particularly across the North Eastern Region. The accredited Corporate Mitra(s) are expected to provide affordable and accessible professional assistance to the local enterprises, for the non-core aspects of their business operation i.e. regulatory, compliance, financial, taxation, accounting, and governance-related needs, thereby ensuring that MSMEs can focus on innovation, expansion and growth, while meeting regulatory requirements with ease.

The scheme implementation is planned with an initial pan India target of 2000 participants, including 200 exclusively from the North East Region (NER), with a 50% fee concession being available for the NER candidates.

For Scheme’s rollout and implementation for the Northeast region, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) Shillong, under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has been designated as the nodal agency for coordination and liaison with State Governments and other stakeholders (universities/associations/industry bodies/institutes etc.), for promotion, and awareness of the Scheme.

Registration for the 'Corporate Mitra' Course was launched for registration by eligible students w.e.f. from 15th July 2026 and shall be live up till to 31st July 2026 (Registration Link: https://swayamplus.education.gov.in/courses/corporate-mitra).

The webinar commenced with the welcome address and context-setting by Sh. Debarun Kalita, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) for IICA Shillong, designated Nodal Officer for the Corporate Mitra Scheme for the Northeast. Sh. Kalita, at the outset expressed his deep gratitude to the visionary leadership and guidance of the Director General, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Sh. Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, under whose stewardship, the original concept of the Corporate Mitra course was developed, structured and given shape.

He further shared the development context and conceiving of the Corporate Mitra concept, to address the inherent challenges faced by the MSMEs in business growth, scale-up and expansion, particularly from the northeast, on account of regulatory and secretarial compliance burden, lack of affordable business advisory/support professionals and pressing need transformative initiatives towards Ese of Doing Business (EODB).

The President, The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI), CMA Sh. Chittaranjan Chattopadhyay, who delivered the keynote address, highlighting the importance of building a skilled professional workforce to support MSMEs and contribute to India’s vision of Viksit Bharat @2047, graced the webinar.

A special address was also delivered by the Vice President The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI), CMA Manoj Kumar Anand, who informed the participants on the need to have a facilitative and supporting eco-system both for the youths/students and the MSMEs, which the Corporate Mitra Scheme addresses.

A special address was delivered by Prof. Rama Chandra Parida, Head of the Department of Commerce at Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh, who appreciated the collaborative initiative and encouraged students to explore the opportunities, offered under the Corporate Mitra Scheme.

The technical session featured a comprehensive presentation on the scheme's objectives, implementation framework, and core competencies by the Lead Co-host from The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI), CMA (Dr.) S.K. Gupta, Managing Director of the ICMAI Registered Valuers Organization, followed by an engaging interactive session that addressed participants' queries.

The webinar witnessed enthusiastic participation from more than 150 students, faculty members, and aspiring professionals representing various institutions across Arunachal Pradesh.

The programme concluded, with a formal Vote of Thanks expressing gratitude to the leadership at Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Director General, IICA, and appreciation to all dignitaries, partner institutions, participants, and the organizing teams of IICA Shillong, Rajiv Gandhi University, and The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI), the Coordination Committee, Corporate Mitra Scheme, for their valuable contributions towards the successful conduct of the webinar.