UP MSMEs networking with Sri Lankan counterparts

Uttar Pradesh’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, which accounts for almost 60 per cent of the state’s industrial output, is networking with its Sri Lankan counterparts for capacity building and forging business ties. A delegation of MSME chamber Indian Industries Association (IIA) today left for Sri Lanka capital Colombo to hold meetings with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Board of Investment/Export Development Board and the Indian High Commissioner.

The networking is being facilitated by a Germany-sponsored partnership programme being run for Indian MSMEs.

“The visit is aimed at enhancing networking with MSME associations within and outside India,” IIA president Anil Gupta said here.

IIA is a partner organisation of German business development organization ZDH-SEQUA, which strives for empowering MSME sector through Indian business organisations and associations. The programme assists its partners to improve their management by facilitating capacity building, training and similar interventions.

IIA and other partner associations from India will deliberate with ZDH-SEQUA as to how the collaboration with Sri Lankan counterparts could improve growth opportunities for Indian MSMEs. Gupta said the Sri Lanka visit was the first of its series and similar visits would be conducted to other countries for strengthening ties amongst global MSME associations.

Since 2010, IIA had conducted various programmes, such as seminars and training sessions in collaboration with ZDH-SEQUA for the sector. He said networking with other MSME associations within and outside the country was on the agenda of IIA as mutual learning/sharing was in the interest of the sector.

According to the last MSME survey conducted by the union MSME ministry in 2006, Uttar Pradesh had over 3.1 million MSMEs, including 760,000 and 2.34 million units in the manufacturing and services sector.