Context: Recently, the Prime Minister of India launched a technology platform called 'CHAMPIONS Platform' which aimed at supporting small and medium businesses through a holistic technology platform.
About CHAMPIONS Platform

• It stands for Creation and Harmonious Application of Modern Processes for Increasing the Output and National Strength.
• It is basically for making the smaller units big by solving their grievances, encouraging, supporting, helping and handholding.
• It is a real one-stop-shop solution of Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
• It is an ICT based system which is set up to help the MSMEs in present difficult situation and also to handhold them to become national and international champions.
• It is a technology packed control room-cum-management information system.
• In addition to ICT tools including telephone, internet and video conference, the system is enabled by Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics and Machine Learning.
• It is also fully integrated on real time basis with Government of India’s main grievances portal CPGRAMS and MSME Ministry’s own other web based mechanisms.

Its Objective

• Grievance Redressal: To resolve the problems of MSMEs including those of finance, raw materials, labor, regulatory permissions etc. particularly in the Covid created difficult situation;
• To help them capture new opportunities:  including manufacturing of medical equipments and accessories like PPEs, masks, etc. and supply them in National and International markets;
• To identify and encourage the sparks:  i.e. the potential MSMEs who are able to withstand the current situation and can become national and international champions.

The main focus of the programme would be

• To expedite the process for businesses to get operational assistance from the government, using automated and manually overseen operational procedures. 
• To enable this, Champions will reportedly have one central control room, and 66 other state-level control rooms, through which all sorts of queries would be digitised and fast-forwarded to the requisite government departments. 
• To speed up decision making, each control room also includes the government's proprietary video conferencing solution, in order to enable smooth functioning.