Pranab asks SSI to draft plan to help Dalits

New Delhi, Oct 7: Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee today asked Minister for Small Scale Industries and Rural and Agro Industries Mahabir Prasad to draft a plan that would strengthen these enterprises and generate employment opportunities for the disadvantaged sections of society, especially the dalits.

The draft plan, to be incorporated in the 11th Five Year Plan, should be made in consultation with all the stakeholders, Mr Mukherjee said, after presenting the Coir Industry Awards and Revi Karunakaran Memorial Best Workmen Awards at the SSI National Convention here.

He said the government had decided to formulate a scheme for providing financial assistance to the small, medium enterpriese (SMEs) to take up design and development work in defence production through defence PSUs, ordnance factories and other industries with proven excellence.

He expressed confidence that the Defence Procurement Procedure 2006, notified recently, would boost defence exports and further encourage private sector participation in defence production.

The Defence Minister asked private sector to tap the talent of IT professionals, particularly the youths, to further strengthen the defence industrial base in the country.

On revamping the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, he said it should make khadi institutions more professional and financially viable as declared in the National Common Minimum Programme.

Similarly, the Coir Board can come forward to work with the defence organisations as a suppier of innovative coir products and geo-textiles, he said.

''Geo-Texitiles has considerable potential of arresting soil erosion. This may be of interest to the Armed Forces units stationed in areas which are prone to land erosion or landslides,'' he added.

UNI