The sector faces long and unscheduled cuts of up to 12 hours a day.

Karnataka's small textile mills kept in the dark

Business Standard

We are buying some machines from a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). We want to know if we have to pay Value Added Tax (VAT) on such purchases.

'Sale from SEZ to DTA attracts VAT'

The craft of making black metal statues has long thrived in Hyderabad &mdash; mostly in the dingy lanes of Lad Bazar near Charminar, which is well known for lac bangles.

Black metal statues losing their sheen due to competition

The economy might be recovering, but the small and medium (SME) auto parts industry in Kolkata is still looking for the green shoots that would end their struggle to keep their businesses afloat.

Kolkata auto part units search for green shoots

The number of deals came down by 37 per cent, to 80 deals in January-November 2009, from 127 deals in the year-ago period.

Private equity inflow into smes drops by 32 per cent

Small and medium businesses (SMBs) are big business for IBM. The company says that SMBs across sectors are spending despite the slowdown, and it expects to see increased momentum in 2010. Ramesh Narasimhan, director, general business, IBM India/South Asia, spoke to Seema Sindhu on why SMBs are important to Big Blue.

'SMBs want the same things as large firms: value and innovation'

The decline in export orders due to the downturn, especially for chess boards and pieces, has prompted Amritsar-based manufacturers of chess boards and pieces to look for other avenues where they can invest. Some are focusing on other wooden board-based games while others are planning to diversify into other sectors.

Chessboard manufacturers in Amritsar look to diversify

Ekgaon, a Delhi-based technology and management services company that focuses on rural areas, which recently won the Dell Small Business Excellence Award in India, is now looking to scale up its business and presence in both India and overseas.

Ekgaon to scale up IT-enabled rural services, venture overseas

These units, which are taking up &ldquo;conversion&rdquo; jobs from BHEL Tiruchi, have not felt the pinch of the global meltdown, since they cater to the power sector.

BHEL Tiruchi suppliers to invest Rs 150 crore

As per Rule 30(8) of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Rules, 2006, &ldquo;Drawback or Duty Entitlement Pass Book (DEPB) credit against supply of goods by Domestic Tariff Area (DTA) supplier shall be admissible provided payments for the supply are made from the Foreign Currency Account of the Unit. Provided that the reimbursement of duty in lieu of drawback or DEPB credit against supply of goods by DTA supplier to SEZ developers shall be admissible even if payment is made in Indian Rupees.&rdquo; This means that DEPB benefits are available to DTA units for supplies to SEZ developers if payment is realised in Indian Rupees also. But the same benefits are not available to DTA for supplies to SEZ units.

'No procedure for inclusion of your products in FPS'

Pune-based Venture Center, an organisation hosted by the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, and funded by the Department of Science and Technology, is engaged in creating a sound ecosystem in and around the Pune region for entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Pune body incubates tech & knowledge businesses

The will enable smaller units in the region to overcome problems posed by inadequate power supply.

Power move: haryana SMEs to explore energy-saving options

In February 2009, Dell shifted the orientation of its commercial business from geographic segments &mdash; the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Japan, Europe, West Asia and Africa &mdash; to three global customer segments: Large enterprise, public, and small and medium businesses (SMBs). With this reorganisation, the company is looking to take the lead in the SMB market. Ravi Bharadwaj, General Manager, SMB, Dell India, spoke to Seema Sindhu on the company&rsquo;s plans.

'SMBs are dabbling with newer ways to leverage IT'

The scientific instruments manufacturers&rsquo; cluster in Ambala (200 km north of Delhi on NH 1), which includes over 1,000 units, is upbeat, as the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises plans to organise the first exposition on scientific instruments to promote the cause of smaller units engaged in this business.

Ministry to organise scientific instruments exposition

The Orissa government has decided to develop four clusters under the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme (NMCP) being implemented by the Union ministry for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).

Orissa govt to develop four MSME clusters

Margins however continue to be under pressure.

Leather units' order books improve

As per Para 5.5 (i) of the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP), up to 50 per cent of the export obligation may be fulfilled by exports of other good(s) manufactured or service(s) provided by the same firm/company, or group company/managed hotel, which has the EPCG authorisation. So, you can use the exports of a group company but not any other company. However, in such cases, additional export obligation imposed shall be over and above average exports achieved by the unit/company/group company/managed hotel in the preceding three years for both the original and the substitute product(s)/service(s), despite exemptions in Para 5.7.6 of the Handbook of Procedures (HBP v1). EPCG authorisation issued prior to 1.4.2008 will be governed by earlier policy provisions.

'Export obligation may be fulfilled by group company'

After completing the fourth census of registered micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Uttarakhand recently, the department of industries is facing another arduous task &mdash; that of surveying unregistered units.

Census of unregistered SMEs underway

The Federation of Corrugated Box Manufacturers (FCBM) has urged the Indian government to remove the anomaly in the excise duty structure between paper manufacturers, who pay 4 per cent excise, and corrugators who are required to pay 8 per cent. The relaxation in duty structure is also expected to remove additional load on the industry by reducing the cost for customers.

Corrugated box makers demand 'green' status

The Indian chit fund industry generates an estimated 3.39 per cent of household savings (or Rs 5.88 crore), compared to 4.92 per cent invested in shares and debentures. Over 95 per cent of chit fund companies are small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and they are important sources of finance for SMEs operating in other sectors.

Chit funds generate 3.4% of household savings: Study

Jalandhar&rsquo;s Rs 600 crore sports industry, which was reeling under a severe scarcity of export orders in the last fiscal year, expects positive growth in the current fiscal year.

Jalandhar sports cluster expects to bounce back

SME: Find all the latest news on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in India. Explore more for the top headlines about SME sector on Business Standard.

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