Kassia to showcase Karnataka's SME sector

Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (Kassia) will organise an exhibition to showcase the competitive strengths of the SME sector in Karnataka.

The expo will be held in collaboration with Small Industry Services Institute (SISI), National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), Karnataka Council for Technological Upgradation (KCTU), Technical Consultancy Services Organisation (TECSOK) and Visvesvaraya Industrial and Trade Centre (VITC).

The four-day Kassia Industrial and Technology Exhibition (KITE) ? 2006 which will start on June 16 at the Palace Grounds in Bangalore will demonstrate the prowess of the SME sector in the state with regard to design, variety, skill, quality and export capability, its organisers said here on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, Karnataka minister of small scale industries & sericulture Katta Subramaniya Naidu said that the state government will provide all support to the exhibitors.

He said that Karnataka had emerged as a top runner in attracting both internal and external industrial investment.

"With the initial logjam over the infrastructure and traffic condition being over now, many large and medium industries prefer to establish their manufacturing base here, with proactive government support," he added.

KITE-2006 will provide the right platform to propel the state's growth in the SME sector and will serve as a meeting ground for new contacts, business development, technology identification and establishing the manufacturing identity of individual units for market expansion and enhance their value, he pointed out.

Products from different segments of the SME sector including metallurgical, textile, electronics and electricals will be displayed in the exhibition. Various public sector undertakings in the field of khadi and village industries, sericulture, coir, handicrafts, handloom and powerloom had agreed to participate in the exhibition.

Hareesh P Hegde, president, Kassia told Business Standard that the state industries department had agreed to give Rs 20 lakh towards organising the event. He said that the exhibition will have around 220 stalls and "we have agreed to give the stalls to women entrepreneurs and the SSI Kassia members on a concessional rate".