Govt honours distinguished MSME entrepreneurs
New Delhi, Mar 1 (KNN) With an objective to recognize the efforts and contribution of MSMEs, the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises today presented national awards to distinguished entrepreneurs and enterprises.
Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh gave away the awards to the MSMEs and banks in recognition of excellence in their fields, in the presence of Minister of MSME, KH Muniyappa Secretary MSME, Madhav Lal, AS&DC, Amarendra Sinha, Chairman, KVIC, Devendrakumar R Desai, Chairman, Coir Board, G Balachandran, CMD, NSIC, H P Kumar at the national awards ceremony here.
Congratulating the winning entrepreneurs, the Prime Minister acknowledged the importance of the MSME sector and its contribution to the economy, GDP, manufacturing output, exports and employment.
He emphasised the need for promoting exports from the MSME sector. “Only a small fraction of enterprises today has the skills, risk appetite and resources to avail of the opportunities offered by processes of globalization. We need to change this state of affairs. I am happy that the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has been taking steps to promote bilateral cooperation with other countries in the MSME sector and giving our enterprises exposure to international markets and foreign technologies,” he said.
Expressing satisfaction that the MSME sector has grown at a healthy rate of 10 per cent in recent years, he went on to list the steps taken by the government to remove the constraints that impeded faster development of the sector.
Among the initiatives listed were the MSME Development Act (2006), National Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme (NMCP), the task force that recommended how the sector could be strengthened and Public Procurement Policy of 2012.
He also drew attention to the additional measures announced in the Budget 2013-14 to promote growth of the sector. “These included continuation of non-tax benefits available for MSMEs for three years even after an enterprise graduated to a higher category. Fifteen additional tool rooms are being set up in the country with World Bank assistance to facilitate skill development and promotion of new technologies in the MSME sector. Regeneration of traditional industries is being given focused attention and this is expected to benefit 4 lakh artisans engaged in these activities,” the PM said.
A special mention was made of the ‘India Inclusive Innovation Fund’ (IIIF) for promoting grass-root level innovation.
However, the Prime Minister pointed out that the government’s initiatives can only be successful with the participation of the private sector and civil society.
“I would urge Industry Associations and Chambers of Commerce in India to come forward with innovative solutions to address constraints that still hamper the development of the MSME sector and also provide constructive inputs for policy formulation and implementation in years to come,” he said.
Also speaking on the occasion, Muniyappa said the MSME sector has been accorded high priority with core emphasis on skill development, employability and entrepreneurship development. Accordingly the 12th Plan allocation has been substantially enhanced to Rs 24,124 crore in 12th Plan as compared to Rs 11,500 crore during 11th plan.
He underlined the importance of Khadi and Village industries and the Ministry’s reform package through ADB funding which provides for upgradation and capacity building of 300 khadi institutions and improved marketing with the financial assistance of Rs. 950 crore. Steps are also being taken, according to him, to distribute 1 lakh modern Chrakhas to ensure higher productivity for the artisans.
Muniyappa highlighted the Ministry’s flagship programme - the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) which has proved to be a remarkable avenue for generation of both self-employment and wage employment in a sustainable manner.
“Since the inception of PMEGP in 2008-09, more than 2.34 lakh new entrepreneurs have been assisted so far and created about 21.26 lakh employment opportunities across the country with Margin Money Subsidy released to the tune of Rs. 5167.00 crores,” he said.
From this year onwards the Ministry has targeted over 100 new enterprises per district every year under PMEGP in all the districts in the country. During 12th Plan period, the Ministry intends to create around 5 lakh such enterprises under PMEGP creating employment opportunities for around 40 lakh persons in the country with an outlay of Rs. 8060 crore.
This year, the total number of national awardees were 114, including 37 for MSME sector, 51 for khadi and village industries and 20 for coir industries in different categories and 6 for banks, according to a release.
The awards were given to MSMEs for outstanding performance in entrepreneurship, research and development, innovation, lean manufacturing techniques and quality products.
The first, second and third national awards carried a certificate, a trophy and cash prize of Rs 1,00,000, Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively.
In addition, special awards were given to honour one outstanding woman entrepreneur, one outstanding entrepreneur from SC/ST community and one entrepreneur from north eastern region.
National awards to banks for excellence in MSE lending and excellence in lending to micro enterprises were also presented.
The awards are given annually to deserving entrepreneurs of MSMEs having permanent registration/have filed entrepreneurs memorandum with the authorities notified by respective state governments or UT administration in accordance with the provisions contained in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act 2006, which came into force on 2 October 2006. The MSMEs should have been in continuous production/service for last four years.
