MSME ministry is working to create a central front office for smaller businesses through vertical integration within central government departments – Mr S C L Das, Secretary, Ministry of MSME, GoI
MoCI, to continue its support for the MSMEs ensuring suitable linkages through ecommerce platforms for increasing exports - Mr Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Director General, Foreign Trade.
FTAs can enable better GVC integration for MSMEs and promote higher quality, standards, and sustainability norms in the domestic MSME ecosystem. – Mr Rajesh Agrawal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, GoI
The business environment today is highly conducive for the growth of MSMEs with the world recognizing their importance, said Mr S C L Das, Secretary, Ministry of MSME, Government of India while speaking at the 20th CII Global MSME Business Summit 2023 in New Delhi today. He mentioned that the Government of India is actively working towards establishing a central front office together with other related Ministries/ Departments, to address various issues pertaining to the MSME Sector that would facilitate ease of doing business (EODB) for the sector.
Mr Das further mentioned that the Ministry would be interested in working together with CII to boost the MSME segment and to mitigate the asymmetries related to Finance & Credit, Technology Infusion and Adoption, Access to Markets and Ease of Doing Business to reduce regulatory burdens.
Mr Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Director General, DGFT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry put forth that MSME sector is a focus for the MoCI, and the Department will continue its support to ensure suitable linkages with the global marketplace and thus leverage ecommerce platforms to increase exports from the sector. To achieve this, ensuring manufacturing competitiveness of the sector, creation of a conducive policy ecosystem, supplementing institutional financing and emphasis on quality and standards are imperative.
Mr Rajesh Agrawal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, and Industry said that MSME’s are now gaining importance with separate chapters dedicated to them being included recent and upcoming foreign trade agreements. FTAs can enable better GVCs integration for MSMEs and promote higher quality standard and sustainability norms in the domestic MSME ecosystem. There are a few key challenges that needs to focus on including information asymmetry, access to affordable finance, environmental compliances, access to new markets, diversification, and capacity building through skill development programs.
Speaking at the occasion, Mr Shreekant Somany, Chairman, CII Centre of Excellence for Competitiveness of SMEs spoke about the Digital Saksham Initiative, launched by CII in 2021, in association with Mastercard Centre for Inclusive Growth. Initiating the journey to digitally empower the Micro and Own Account Enterprises, the Digital Saksham Project is now operational in 10 states covering 40 cities. Till date, the Project has reached out to 1.2 lakh enterprises; with over 30% of women and 24% young entrepreneurs have undertaken the training programme.
Mr M Ponnusami, Co-Chairman, CII National MSME Council urged the MSME community to build trust within its customers and supply chain partners and emphasized the importance of creating a solid reputation for creating a successful business.
Mr Ashok Saigal, Co-Chairman, CII National MSME Council highlighted the key suggested recommendations for the MSME sector noted as creation of a Success Rewards Programme(SRP) for MSMEs, in line with the PLI Scheme; creation of a Technology Fund for Industry 4.0 adoption for MSMEs, Extension of timeline for NPA classification MSME cell in line ministries and reduction in tax rates for Partnership and LLP firms concerns, amongst others.
23 November 2023
New Delhi