Published Paper


Social Work Intervention in Resilience of Entrepreneurial Activity in Manipur, India

Dr. Laishram Jeena Devi
ICSSR Postdoctoral Fellow, Manipur University, Imphal.
Page: 445-454
Published on: 2024 June

Abstract

Social Work serves to enhance desirable social change, social justice and a common goal whereas the promotion of entrepreneurship is universally recognized to cope with social challenges – unemployment, poverty and related consequences. Manipur is a heterogenous society, having 33 officially recognized communities with their own ethnicity, language, culture and socio-political viewpoint. It is geographically looked into hilly and valley regions. The state has recently undergone a violent ethnic conflict between its two main communities – Meiteis and Kukis since May 3, 2023. Yet, it is not settled. Due to it, the state suffers in numerous ways – distressing the state's normalcy, transportation, day-to-day activities, internet connectivity and various economic activities. Since most of the existing entrepreneurs in the state were micro-based, the conflict distressed them badly in sustaining their businesses. Thus, scientifically investigating the impacts of the crisis on entrepreneurship and scrutinizing the role of SW in their rehabilitation was vital. The study was done with a qualitative approach and an interview method is used by constructing a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were done in the month of September 2023. It found that most entrepreneurial or business units were socially and economically interrupted by protracted lockdowns, market closures, curfews, restricted transportation, extended internet shutdowns and violence. Not only business activities, the entrepreneurs lost most of their existing business networks and connections for several months. However, a few entrepreneurs tried to cope with the situation by discovering new stakeholders, business connections and the environment in the locality with their available resources. At the same time, many business units were prone to distress of permanent closure. As a part of the rehabilitation process, Social Work could intervene in mobilizing a unified and collaborative platform with several stakeholders. Familiarizing them with relevant financial literacy, available safety net and expansion of marketing platforms were among indispensable steps apart from common skill development and vocational training programs.

 

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