Jan 24: A National SC-ST Hub Conclave is being held in Mumbai today, 23rd January 2023. The day-long national conclave is being organized by the Union Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, at World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai, to promote the culture of entrepreneurship among members of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities and to spread awareness of the National SC-ST Hub (NSSH) and other schemes of the MSME Ministry. The event has been inaugurated by the Union MSME Minister Narayan Rane.
Addressing the inaugural session, the MSME Minister said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched National SC-ST Hub and various schemes under MSME Ministry to realize the dream of an Aatmnirbhar Bharat. These various schemes are being implemented for the purpose of employment generation, promotion of entrepreneurship, increasing GDP and boosting exports, he added.
The Minister said that from being the 10th largest economy in the world in 2014, India has now become the fifth largest economy in the world. The government wants to make India the third largest economy in the world by 2030 and for this, the industry sector should cooperate, said the Minister.
The Minister observed that Maharashtra is at the forefront of industrial progress and spoke about the need to further increase the contribution of the MSME sector. “MSMEs account for 30% of India’s GDP and 50% of exports. Everyone should contribute to increasing this further.”
The Minister emphasized that the role of an entrepreneur is very important in economic empowerment, employment generation and the overall development of the country. More and more people should hence enter the industry and become entrepreneurs, he said. “If someone has any doubts or difficulties regarding starting the business, our MSME Ministry will provide all possible assistance to resolve them. Everyone should contribute to the work being done through our ministry to create entrepreneurs, create employment and increase the country’s GDP. Our Ministry is working with the aim of complete eradication of unemployment and poverty from the country and everyone should cooperate in that work.” The Minister urged people to become entrepreneurs by taking benefits of loan facilities and other concessions available under the National SC-ST Hub Scheme and other schemes of the MSME Ministry. The Minister said that it is not enough that we read Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s thoughts; they should also be implemented at all levels, in order to really take them forward.
MSME Secretary B. B. Swain said that the MSME sector has emerged as a very vibrant sector of the Indian economy. The state of Maharashtra offers a strong ecosystem; more than 20% of registered MSMEs are from the state, observed the Secretary. For sustainable development, the sector needs to continually upgrade to become more competitive. The Ministry is developing new frameworks and innovative policies for promoting the sector. “We bank heavily on stakeholder consultation, we will be working very seriously on the suggestions given at the Conclave today”, said the Secretary.
The Secretary spoke of National SC-ST Hub and that the Conclave such as today’s is being organized to take the benefits of various schemes for SC ST entrepreneurs to the last mile.
The main goal of the conclave is to help achieve the sub-target of 4% annual procurement from MSEs owned by SC/ST entrepreneurs, as part of the Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs). Thanks to various initiatives taken by the SC ST Hub over the years, the share of public procurement from SC/ST entrepreneurs has risen from Rs. 99.37 crores or 0.07% of public procurement in 2015-16 to Rs. 1,248.23 crores or 0.86% of public procurement in 2021-22.
The conclave provides an interactive platform for both aspiring and existing SC-ST entrepreneurs to interact with diverse stakeholders comprising Central Public Sector Enterprises, Industry Associations, lending institutions and concerned central and State government departments. Through the exchange of ideas and deliberation on challenges and opportunities, the SC-ST MSMEs are also expected to be able to expand their horizons by incorporating new ideas by becoming better aware of the various interventions being taken by the Government.
Many current and future SC-ST entrepreneurs from Mumbai and surrounding regions are participating in the event. The conclave aims to help them to better leverage the benefits offered under the SC ST Hub and other schemes and programmes of the Ministry of MSME.
Joint Secretary of MSME Ministry and CMD, NSIC, Mercy Epao said that the Ministry’s goal is to assist MSME entrepreneurs and also contribute to the development of an ecosystem which enables MSMEs to become champions. She reiterated that the Ministry has reclassified the definition of Micro, Small and Medium enterprises. 45% of national manufacturing output comes from MSMEs, with their GDP contribution being around 30%. The Joint Secretary gave a brief of various schemes of the Ministry spanning finance facilitation, skill development, technology enablement and other verticals, from which entrepreneurs can benefit.
Check out the website of the Hub here: https://www.scsthub.in/ to know more about the schemes, programs and how they serve SC/ST entrepreneurs.
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