Simplify procedures for MSMEs: Mishra

Simplification of procedures to start micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) is a vital necessity across India to encourage growth in the sector, Union Minister for MSMEs Kalraj Mishra said on Tuesday.

He emphasised the need for redefining the MSME segment so that an integrated policy can be brought in to provide more employment opportunities.

Speaking at the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FKCCI) innovation excellence awards function in Bangalore, Mishra said, “We should come out of the licence raj system so that starting MSME industries can be a hassle-free affair and facilities like finance, raw material availability and skills development are given more importance.”

“As part of leveraging MSME contribution to the total industrial output of the country, the Centre is planning to bring out a new industrial policy for the sector.

Our endeavour is to give maximum governance and minimum government,” he said.

To bring down regional imbalances, Mishra said it is high time to propagate traditional industries taking into account the availability of raw material in the region. “Here, we should bring in innovative technologies in partnership with technology institutes and assist MSMEs in skills development,” Mishra said.

MSME Development Commissioner Amarendra Sinha revealed the ministry’s efforts to begin an online platform for speedy registration of companies across India.

“It will be an integrated platform providing facilities like registration, VAT registration, environmental clearance and central excise taxes. It will be streamlined by next month,” Sinha said.

As part of rejuvenating the MSME sector, the government is also establishing 15 technical centres in eight verticals with an investment of $400 million.

“These tech centres will be in engineering, tooling, aerospace, Electronic System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM), automobiles and flavours and fragrance. It will be located in Bangalore, Kolar, Imphal, Itanagar, Puducherry, Biddi, Durg, Visakhapatnam and Bawadi. Besides help from the Industrial Technology Research Institute(ITRI), these tech centres will get assistance from UK, Germany and Taiwan,” he said.

He also exhorted the CSIR to use their labs for research activities also with MSMEs across the country.