In the four states of Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan, over 70 per cent of small scale industry (SSI) units using improved technology showed substantial quality improvement, according to a study published this April by the Society for Economic and Social Transition. Around 46 per cent indicated reduction in cost of production and more than 20 per cent indicated achievement of competitiveness in domestic and international markets through adoption of improved technology, noted the study, which was done for the Planning Commission.

85% of small units lack access to technology

Business Standard

With consumers switching to ever newer drugs, getting licences for changing product lines is an issue.

Bulk drug firms want pollution norms relaxed

The prospect of large-scale defaults by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) on repayments to banks is unavoidable and the banking sector&rsquo;s non-performing assets (NPAs) are set to increase, Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Micro, Small &amp; Medium Enterprises (FISME) Anil Bhardwaj has warned.

Defaults by small units will add to bank non-performing assets: FISME

Finding itself low on RBI's priority list, MSMEs hope for a more nuanced approach from the new government.

FISME seeks separate bank regulator

The notification No. 50/2008-CE (NT) dated 31.12.2008 amended Rule 6(6)(i) of Cenvat Credit Rules, 2004 to include goods cleared to &ldquo;SEZ developer for their authorised operations&rdquo; also. What about goods cleared before that date? We have taken Credit but now the excise department is asking us to reverse that and also pay interest.

Amendment to Cenvat Credit Rules is prospective

A majority of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) associated with the construction industry say that they are &ldquo;struggling to stay afloat in the current slowdown&rdquo;. With private sector projects slowing down, they are now dependent on government projects for survival, said a cross-section of industry representatives.

Government projects keep construction units going

The Haryana Micro and Small Enterprise Facilitation Council, formed under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Act 2006, is yet to gain popularity, as most SMEs are ignorant about the existence and utility of the body.

Fast track payments&#39; body gets few cases

The global downturn in the automobile sector has reportedly left more than 50,000 people jobless within the forging sector across India. In a bid to make the government listen to their demand to help this sector, more than 161 forging units have launched a signature campaign in three cities, namely, Pune, Chennai and Ludhiana.

Global auto sector downturn leaves 50,000 jobless in forging industry

In a bid to study the dynamics of the Indian market before setting up their businesses here, UK-based small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have come down to the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) for a training programme. This is probably for the first time that any foreign SME units are being trained at the institute.

UK-based SMEs undergo training at IIM-A

Industry in Dewas, one of the leading exporting towns of Madhya Pradesh, is being squeezed by a shortage of land.

Amid shortage of land, Dewas industry has no room to expand

In a bid to reach out to a greater number of Small and Medium Businesses (SMB) in India, Microsoft Corporation is expanding its distribution partnership from 16 to 40 cities in the country. SMB is the fastest growing segment for the company and contributes around 40 per cent of its global revenues.

Microsoft to expand SME partnerships in India

After a long wait of over two years, the brass industry of Jamnagar seems to be regaining its lustre, owing to the government&rsquo;s recent reduction of the tariff on brass scrap, combined with the sharp drop in raw material prices. Add to that the fact that the demand for brass in the domestic market has also increased, triggering the recovery of an industry that was on the brink of closure, with many players having downed their shutters.

Jamnagar brass industry shows signs of recovery

While Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) clusters across the country are feeling the heat of the global meltdown, the clusters in Tiruchirappali (Tiruchi) and Ranipet are yet to be affected, thanks to the power sector&mdash; one of the few sectors that has not been hit by the slowdown&mdash; to which they cater to.

SMEs in Tiruchi, Ranipet yet to be hit by global meltdown

With a view to meeting the infrastructure needs of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the state, the Orissa government plans to set up exclusive industrial parks for these units.

Orissa plans exclusive industrial parks for MSMEs

Until last year, Karnataka was home to nearly 600,000 small-scale units (of which 350,000 are registered), nearly 75 per cent of them located in and around Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore, Belgaum, Hubli and Shimoga.

Karnataka SMEs in precarious state as OEM orders dry up

One of our SEZ projects, which envisaged 4 million square feet processing area, ITES development and further 1 million square feet non-processing area retail mall, has been deferred for 10 months. The contractor to whom we had awarded the concrete structure is proceeding with the work. We want to know whether the SEZ notification will be revoked if we do not complete the mall (where office space is to be commissioned) and whether the contractor will get the benefits. We also want to know whether tax on design and management consultancy service will be waived.

There is no legal provision to de-notify an SEZ

The recent winter in Europe has brought good news to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the traditional leather clusters of Tamil Nadu. Representatives from these clusters in Chennai, Ranipet and Ambur said they had earlier expected the global economic downturn to reduce orders by 30-40 per cent, but now believe they would be down by a &ldquo;more manageable&rdquo; 15-20 per cent, owing to a severe and prolonged winter.

Tamil Nadu leather exporters expect to bounce back

Vishwajeet Chakraborty, a small entrepreneur, increased the wage of his labourers by 10 per cent this year. And yet, half of his work force did not turn up to work.

With subsidised rice, workers prefer to sit at home

Reeling under the impact of delayed payments from buyers, the Faridabad Small Industries Association (FSIA) has sought more time from banks for discounting invoice bills.

SMEs seek timely payments

The Rs 100 crore hosiery and textile park coming up at Howrah district, six km from the Kona Expressway on the Delhi Road, developed by the special purpose vehicle (SPV), West Bengal Hosiery Park Infrastructure Limited (WBHPIL), is expected to generate more than 20,000 direct and indirect jobs, besides promising state-of-the art training and manufacturing facilities to more than 250 small and medium units.

Kolkata hosiery park to create 20,000 jobs, benefit 250 SMEs

The pharmaceuticals business in Uttarakhand is gradually losing its sheen, thanks to the recent four percentage point cut in excise duty by the Centre.

Pharma industry loses sheen in Uttarakhand

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.

Page 98 - SME