FKCCI seeks 30% reservation for women in industrial parks

'By providing 30% reservation to women entrepreneurs in all new industrial townships, we can encourage more women to turn entrepreneurs and help them grow', Uma Reddy, President of FKCCI said

Bengaluru: The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) has sought 30% reservation in allotment of industrial land/ sheds for women in upcoming industrial parks in the state. The FKCCI has also urged both the central and state governments to come out with a separate policy for micro and small scale industries as 97% of the MSME units are micro and small scale.

Speaking to reporters, Uma Reddy, President of FKCCI said, "By providing 30% reservation to women entrepreneurs in all new industrial townships, we can encourage more women to turn entrepreneurs and help them grow. This will ensure that they get suitable opportunities to excel in the business field."

The chamber has requested the state government to consider the request for giving preference to women entrepreneurs, she said.

Reddy also said that there is a need to announce a separate policy for micro and small industries because they constitute 97% of the total MSME units in the country. This will help the sector get more opportunities and a focused policy framework that will enable them to grow faster, she said.

The FKCCI aims to create 10 lakh new MSME entrepreneurs. "It cannot be achieved in one year. It is a long way to go. We have 7.5 lakh MSME units in Karnataka and we want to increase it to one million," she said.

Commenting on the demand of the workforce in the state for increasing minimum wages to Rs 31,000, FKCCI president said it is not possible to pay so much as it will impact the finances of the MSME sector. "The government has suggested that we pay Rs 26,000 per person per month at least. Even this is also not feasible. We have proposed to pay Rs 21,000 per month as against Rs 15,000 presently paid," she said.

There is a possibility of the migration of the industries to neighbouring states, if the government mandates higher minimum wages, she added.