Orissa offers marketing assistance

The MSMEs will be encouraged to participate in reputed national and international trade fairs and exhibitions. This is expected to widen the reach of the SME products.

According to the draft MSME development policy of the Orissa government, assistance up to Rs 25,000 will be provided to MSMEs to participate in reputed trade fairs, exhibitions and buyer-seller meets.

For participation in overseas events organised by the Export Promotion Council of the Union government, assistance up to Rs 50,000 will be provided to MSMEs. The Directorate of Export Promotion and Marketing (EPM) will notify a list of such domestic and foreign events in consultation with the director of industries of the Orissa government.

The directorate of EPM along with Orissa Small Industries Corporation (OSIC) will initiate measures for organising annual buyer-seller meets and vendor development programmes between the large industries and the MSME units. Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Orissa Limited (IPICOL) and MSME Development Institute will be roped in the process.

The draft policy states that the state government will endeavour to promote marketing of goods and services produced by the MSMEs in domestic and overseas market. It is sought to be achieved through a combination of institutional, fiscal and policy support by the government.

The state government will also ensure that the requirement of goods and services by the government departments and the agencies under its control are procured from the local MSMEs. A list of goods and services to be reserved for procurement from MSMEs via rate contract system will be prepared by the director, EPM.

EPM will prepare the list after taking into account the goods manufactured and the services rendered by the MSMEs and the requirement of the government departments and the agencies under its control. Any good or service will be compulsarily procured following the rate contract system for which subsisting rate contract exists.

A list of goods and services reserved exclusively for purchase from the MSMEs located within the state shall be prepared by the EPM director based on the production capacity of local MSMEs and the requirements of the government departments.

Official sources said, different departments of the state government will procure their requirement from local MSMEs with ISO/ISI/EPM certification through invitation of limited competitive quotations from these units.

Efforts will be made to distribute the purchase order equitably among the participating industries prepared to accept lowest negotiated rate. However, the government departments will be free to purchase goods and services not in the rate contract list through open tender.