President Pranab Mukherjee Friday said that the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of country's industrial development and economy, reports media.
The President has said this in New Delhi while interacting with a group from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). The participants who met Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan are part of a delegation brought on a tour by the Rashtriya Rifles.
The President, a statement from Rashtrapati Bhawan said, said this tour will help the delegates from the state become "aware of government schemes and programmes, credit facilities, market opportunities among others and help them earn their livelihood by becoming self-reliant."
The group which hails from Rajouri district of the state was told by the President that this "experience would help them in their future life and leave a lasting impression on them of their belonging to the vast country of India."
"He (Mukherjee) stated that this tour aims to spread awareness among them about various employment avenues available in the small scale sector of the economy. It also aims to spread the message of love, peace and harmony amongst the youth," the statement said.
In a separate interaction, a group of 42 school children from Jammu and Kashmir met Minister of State for Home M Ramachandran at his official residence here.
The students, in the age group of 12-16 years are on a 11-day 'bharat darshan' tour organised by the Border Security Force, report added.
