Camps to Redress MSME Grievances

BHUBANESWAR: The Government has decided to organise camps to redress grievances of micro, small and medium entrepreneurs of the State.

As Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are facing a host of problems starting from project clearance at district level to marketing of products to Government agencies, Chief Secretary Gokul Chandra Pati asked the Directorate of Industries to hold grievance addressing camps for MSMEs on a fixed day each month.

The Chief Secretary gave this directive at an open house discussion with MSME entrepreneurs on the last day of 11th Entrepreneurs Week here on Wednesday.

The Industries directorate was asked to compile grievances raised by entrepreneurs and move departments concerned for quicker redressal.

Pati also advised MSME Secretary Panchanan Das to put in place one Odisha Small Industries Corporation (OSIC)-led marketing consortium for providing common brand and marketing support to Odisha-based MSMEs.

Underscoring the need to develop MSME clusters as growth centres, Pati requested MSME associations to participate in the process. He said the State MSMEs are performing on a par with the national ones and have been instrumental in enhancing the export growth by 80 per cent in non-mineral sector.

With local units complaining about the methods adopted by various Government agencies for procurement of IT and its enabled services, the Chief Secretary said the State Government is in the process of finalising a separate IT procurement policy to help local enterprises in bagging the orders.

Representatives of various MSME associations raised issues relating to revival of sick units, procurement by PSUs and large scale industries from Odisha-based MSMEs, extension of credit guarantee facility to MSMEs running on rented premises, purchase from local EPM rate contract holders by turn key contract awardees and settlement of pending credit cases as per one time settlement (OTS) policy.

Establishment of entrepreneur development centres, incubation centres and common facility centres, raw material entry tax for MSMEs, establishment of textile park and separate power tariff for MSMEs were the other issues deliberated during the discussion.

SOURCE: New Indian Express