Union Minister of State for MSME, Shri Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma chaired the National SC/ST Hub conclave in the presence of Smt. Nemcha Kipgen, Union Minister for Textiles, Commerce and Industry Department and Co-operation, Govt. of Manipur; and other senior dignitaries at Churachandpur, Manipur today. The Conclave organized by the Ministry of MSME to spread awareness of the NSSH Scheme and other Schemes of the Ministry saw overwhelming participation of more than 500 SC-ST entrepreneurs. Ms. Mercy Epao, Joint Secretary (SME) welcomed dignitaries and participants who had come from all districts of Manipur. It provided an interactive platform to aspiring/ existing SC-ST entrepreneurs to interact with CPSEs, Industry Associations, lending institutions, TRIFED, NERAMAC, GeM.
Speaking on the occasion Shri Verma said “Government is actively engaged in spearheading various initiatives for the overall inclusive development of enterprises across the country. Our focus is to create a benchmark for MSEs in North-Eastern region by scaling it up to new heights in terms of exports, quality of products, contribution to GDP and providing world-class infrastructure and state-of-the-art technology to all.” He also showed great confidence in the people of Manipur and said that through this conclave the SC/ST entrepreneurs will explore innovative ideas and mutual business opportunities and avail various benefits from the scheme.
The program witnessed the participation of CPSEs like Power grid and Food Corporation of India, who had put up a facilitation desk to assist SC/ST entrepreneurs and also gave a presentation on their vendor empanelment process and list of products and services being procured from SC/ST MSEs. The program also had Finance institutions such as SIDBI, SBI & Canara Bank who detailed out various lending schemes to MSME sector. Other government organizations who participated in the program and presented their various schemes to assist MSMEs were KVIC, NSTFDC, GEM, NERAMAC, CIPET, and TRIFED. The program also had stalls of various SC/ST entrepreneurs who showcased their products along with UDYAM Registration, ZED facilitating registrations of SC/ST MSEs.
For inclusive growth, Ministry of MSME implements the National SC/ST Hub Scheme with an objective of creating ecosystem for SC/STs and help them participate in public procurement process to reach atleast 4%.
Given the importance of MSMEs in our economy, it is imperative that focused efforts are made to promote entrepreneurship amongst the youth and create a conducive ecosystem to realize the 5 trillion USD economy.
Nurturing the MSME sector is important for the economic well-being of the nation. Government is consistently working to empower MSMEs for sustainable growth and to become compatible in the global value chain. These types of State level conclaves assist SC/ST MSMEs to expand their horizons by incorporating new ideas as they become aware of the various interventions given by the Government.