MSME Min creating framework to spread awareness about schemes

MSME Ministry creating framework where role, responsibility and obligations of each sector-specific industry associations will be clearly spelt out

The MSME Ministry is in the process of creating a framework to define clearly the role and responsibility of each sector-specific industry association to disseminate information about government schemes among micro, small and medium enterprises.

"Among Indian MSMEs, there is lack of awareness about existing schemes, which are intended to benefit the industry, leading to their non-implementation on time.

"Therefore, there is a need to ensure that the right level of awareness is created among entrepreneurs," MSME Secretary Madhav Lal said today at the Ficci's fourth annual Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Summit here.

The MSME Ministry is creating a framework where the role, responsibility and obligations of each sector-specific industry associations will be clearly spelt out, he said.

"The idea is to bring together MSME industry associations dealing with a particular sector so that the coverage of the related schemes is enlarged and their adoption is expedited," he added.

The MSME Ministry has a number of schemes, including Credit Guarantee Scheme, MSE-Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP), National Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme, Entrepreneurship and Skill Development and Rajiv Gandhi Udyami Mitra Yojana.

Ficci MSME Committee Chairman Sanjay Bhatia said there is a dire need to improve the skills sets of the workforce in the MSMEs.

"Appropriate programmes should be launched by the government in collaboration with academic institutions and skill development institutions for training these people," he said.

The MSME sector contributes over eight per cent to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and accounts for 45 per cent of the manufacturing sector. There are around 3.6 crore such enterprises, employing over eight crore people.