Ficci working with state govts on skill-building

The Federation of Indian Chambers and Commerce of India (Ficci) is working closely with the central government on skill mapping in each state to develop an accurate assessment of their skill development needs. Talking to Business Standard, Sanjay Bhatia, president, Ficci Council for MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises), said that MSMEs across India need upgradation of skills.

"We are working through our state councils to create a bridge with state governments for upgradation of existing skill centres," said Bhatia, who is also managing director of Hindustan Tin Works Limited.

During its executive committee meeting in Chandigarh last week, Ficci also urged the state governments to ensure that state public sector enterprises source their procurement needs from MSMEs. Under the public procurement policy of the central government, PSUs are obliged to procure 20 per cent of their needs from MSMEs, but this has not been strictly implemented.

MSMEs, he said, can play the desired role in the 'Make in India' movement if they are provided with the right opportunities and handholding. Punjab and Haryana together have close to 400,000 MSMEs, which employ about 10 million persons. Competition in the international market has rendered many of them unviable.

Bhatia said the chief ministers of the two states have assured Ficci that they will create a more enabling environment for the development of MSMEs, and added that Haryana is coming up with a new industrial policy, in which a major thrust would be given to MSMEs.

The new single-window clearance mechanism introduced by the state government in Punjab, where the CEO of the Investment Promotion Board is vested with statutory powers of approval for all clearances, can be emulated by other states, he said. "We have been told by the deputy chief minister that approvals have been granted in 37 days and even less, and this is a landmark step in mobilising investment in the state."