New Delhi, Sep 5 : The â??Corporate Mitraâ?? initiative seeks to make compliance less intimidating and knowledge more accessible for entrepreneurs, according to the government.

Anita Shah Akela, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, emphasised that the initiative is aimed at transforming compliance from a burden into an enabler of trust, transparency, accountability and orderly growth.

The â??Corporate Mitraâ?? initiative was announced by the government in the Union Budget 2026-27 with the objective of creating a pool of trained and certified paraprofessionals who can support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in managing business and regulatory compliances.

The programme brings together the professional expertise of ICAI, ICSI and ICoAI with the technology and academic support from IIT Madras, IIT Madras Pravartak and SWAYAM Plus.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) and the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICoAI) has commenced the Corporate Mitra Course, with 2,879 learners registered in the first batch.

The launch of the Corporate Mitra Learning Management System (LMS) marks the beginning of the structured learning and capability-development phase of the programme, according to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

The course aims to create a skilled cadre of certified para-professionals to provide affordable professional support to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), thereby promoting ease of doing business, employment generation and inclusive economic growth.

It marks an important step towards developing a skilled pool of paraprofessionals who can contribute to the growth and formalisation of India's MSME ecosystem.

The â??Corporate Mitraâ?? course has a total duration of 12 months, divided into two stages. The first six months comprise approximately 150 hours of structured academic learning, delivered through recorded video lectures.

This is followed by six months of on-the-job training in professional firms of members of ICAI, ICSI and ICoAI, providing learners with hands-on workplace experience.

/IANS