M Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University at Ajmer is the first university in the country to be supported by the Ministry of Small Scale Industries, Government of India to set up a Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management (ESBM). If self-help is the best help, then self-employment is the best employment and entrepreneurship the most exciting level of self-employment. It provides an opportunity for a person to enter into a process, which leads to realization of their passion for innovation and development. In this career option one has to knock only one door that is ones own self for becoming employed. But the only thing required is that he or she be groomed in an entrepreneurial mould. Thus, the development of entrepreneur as an alternative career is essential for the over all growth of any economy-national or regional- by way of generating employment opportunities and setting up of micro enterprises using locally available resources to millions of unemployed youth for enhanced productivity. This could be achieved by effecting educational programmes and imaginative planning for implementation of entrepreneurship. Looking to the socio-economic needs of the region, the University has taken upon the responsibility to create a climate where entrepreneurial activity is recognized, honoured, and looked upon with pride. It will require intervention at a level where youth/ student see it as a primary employment opportunity rather than an alternative employment. This requires training and educating them where they can take up self-employment with little inhibitions-and that they find themselves prepared for it. This will require in the first place that a mindset be created where youth passing out of schools and entering higher education have a positive disposition for entrepreneurial activity. This is possible when he is able to associate such activity as a preferred means for livelihood and that his contemporaries associate pride with such an activity. The proposed intervention is thus targeted at two audiences- youth and entrepreneurs. First group includes youth who have just entered colleges; who are about to seek employment; and later expand to include students from high school, about to take up employment or enter higher education. The second group includes small business persons and this centre would provide support in terms of education, training, and consultancy to this group at an affordable cost. Centre also envisages offering them continued assistance and helping them resolve the problems they face.   Objectives The centre has been established with following objectives        To promote entrepreneurship as a socio-cultural value.        To augment valency for entrepreneurial activity- that students see it as an honourable and preferred mechanism for employment.        They are to be groomed in a manner that they are ready to face the challenges of start-ups.        To create an incubator for entrepreneurship.        To serve as an information and resource institute.        To serve as a nodal agency and provide a platform for SMEs and various bodies operative in the locality.   Focus In the initial years amongst others the centre would focus its efforts on three relatively untouched issues in the region- Service entrepreneurship, women entrepreneurship, and sub-urban and rural entrepreneurship.   Approach Centre has adopted a five step approach to creating entrepreneurial. Centre would offer intervention at each of these levels. Centre has proposed activities for each of the steps and is open to all creative ideas to further its agenda. Awareness        Create awareness among students by way of education and intervention through curriculum        Organize activities like essay and story writing and case development competition, business quiz, talks etc.        Create and provide centralized support centre for entrepreneurial activities like entrepreneurship camps, fairs, etc.   Motivate        Rewarding entrepreneurial activity by students        Recognizing and honouring other entrepreneurial activity in the vicinity.        Organise Entrepreneurship Development Programmes   Capability building        Training for teachers of colleges and universities        Promote entrepreneurship as a value through entrepreneurship camps for students        Research on problems of local small business (Create Small Business Research Group)        Curriculum intervention        Short term and long term courses   Action   Create a support centre and event management group that will organize infrastructure for student fairs on annual basis both exclusively and alongside local small businesses    Organizing co-curricular activities emphasizing entrepreneurship   Establish an exhibition pavilion for promoting student / small business/ indigenous craft products.        Network with local bodies   Continued Support        Training        Consultancy        Information institute        Networking with other agencies   Small Business Research (and Consultancy) Group SBRG The group under the aegis of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management (ESBM) will take up academic and business research in the areas of entrepreneurship and small business. The group shall also provide support to independent and student researchers who are engaged in related research. The nature of research would be interdisciplinary with inputs from Management, Commerce, Economics, Psychology, Sociology, History, Anthropology, Public administration, Life sciences, Physical sciences, Women Studies, Technology, Engineering, etc.  SBRG will create opportunity for research training by organizing workshops and training programmes. It will carry out sponsored business research for small business. SBRG will promote research by offering fellowships and awards. SBRG will also take care of publications and organization of conferences on behalf of the centre. Publication Center will bring out a half-yearly journal called Journal of Small Business. This will address the needs of both the researchers and practitioners. The journal will serve as a platform to exchange academic research and practice from real life. Journal shall also provide space to case studies and celebrate entrepreneurial. Center would also support capability building by developing reading material and books on the subject. Conference Center will organize a bi-annual conference in odd- numbered years to share research ad practice by bringing to common platform researchers, small business, entrepreneurs, agencies, government and others. Conferences would focus on contemporary issues. Later doctoral seminars may be appended to these conferences. 1st Biennial International Conference on Entrepreneurship is scheduled for September 9-11, 2005. Support Group To create and provide centralized support center for entrepreneurial activities like entrepreneurship camps, fairs, etc. This center will also be responsible for coordinating co-curricular activities focusing at entrepreneurship development. It will also organize talks with entrepreneurs. It will also develop teaching and reading material as required for extension activities. Infrastructure Center is located on the first floor of Academic Block II, the Vikramaditya Bhawan, on the campus of Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University, at Ajmer. Center is in the process of creating a focused library, computer center, state-of-the-art-training infrastructure and transit residential facilities on its premises. Information Platform Create a nodal center for information generation and dissemination. This group will support publication and development of reading and other material. This center will also provide information about various schemes and opportunities. Staffs At present ESBM has following staffs: Dr. B.P. Saraswat- Director Dr. Ashish Pareek- Dy. Director Manendra Singh- Office Incharge Center has a open policy to associate experts from various related disciplines to further instruction, research and extension activities. Contact We welcome any creative ideas, request and offers for collaborative activity. Please feel free to get in touch. We are always available at:   Director/ Deputy Director Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University Ajmer 305009 Rajasthan INDIA Telephone: 91-145-2788106                      91-145-2787412/13/14 Ext 291 E-Mail:                   dircesbm@yahoo.com