GUWAHATI: The Centre has sanctioned over Rs 1,536 crore for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Assam under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to help out this worst pandemic-hit sector from the crisis.
Giving this information, state industries minister Chandra Mohan Patowary called upon entrepreneurs to utilize local resources for value-added commercial production, assuring full cooperation from the government.
“Due to the lockdown, MSMEs have been badly hit which led to the closure of several units and, hence, loss of employment and livelihood for workers.
The Union government had announced Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan of Rs.
20 lakh crore stimulus package to revive and boost the MSME sector.
Over Rs 1,536 crore have been sanctioned for the MSMEs in Assam till May, 2021 under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee (ECLG) Scheme,” Patowary said while participating in a webinar organized by the industries and commerce department on the occasion of ‘International MSME Day’ on Sunday.
The United Nations General Assembly, recognizing the need to improve small business development, decided to observe June 27 as Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day.
Reiterating the commitment of the state government for the economic development and generation of employment through industrialization in Assam, the minister said, “The state government introduced the Assam MSME (Facilitation of Establishment and Operation) Act, 2020 which exempts entrepreneurs from the long procedures of approvals and inspections for setting up of MSMEs in the state.” He encouraged the entrepreneurs to take initiative for commercial processing of local resources like bamboo, agarwood, turmeric and ginger, among other products, for value added exports.
Patowary said, “MSME is synonymous to the industrial scenario in a state like Assam.
This is represented by the fact that there are 66,584 numbers of industries in Assam, out of which 88 per cent is micro, 11.5 per ent is small and medium industries.
Assam’s GDP is Rs 4.09 lakh crore and the industry sector contributes 39 per ent to the state GDP.” KK Dwivedi, principal secretary of the department, expressed the hope that the MSMEs would fully tap the potentiality that a growing consumer market offers.
Officials of the Commissionerate of Industries and Commerce, AIDC, AIIDC, ASIDC, MSME-DI, National Small Industries Corporation, General Managers of DICCs, NIC, FINER, Assam Start-Up, business leaders, entrepreneurs participated in the virtual meeting.