Nat Conf to prepare agenda for SMEs in 11th Plan

Kochi, Nov 5: A National Conference on 'Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Livelihoods: Towards an Agenda for he 11th Five Year Plan'' will be held in Thiruvananthapuram this month to re-focus attention on the neglected sector.

The two-day Conference from November 27 was being jointly organised by the Planning Commission, the Institute of Small Enterprises and Development (ISED), Kochi, and the International Network on SMEs in Local Economic Development (INSLED-India).

P M Mathew, Director, ISED, said here today that SMEs had been accorded low priority in public policy platforms under globalisation.

The task of the Conference will be to identify the key areas of concern for the sector such as technology, innovation, trade regime, gender issues, local economic development imperatives and finance.

A special session of regional experience of SME planning will be held on November 28.

The Conference will be attended by entrepreneurs, planning and administrative departments of the Central and State Governments, financial institutions, UN system, international donors, academicaians and professional agencies.

''The Planning Commission has already approved the Draft Approach Paper of the 11th Plan and this is the right time that an overall perspective and strategy are outlined for the Plan, through a multi-stakeholder exercise,'' Dr Mathew added.

UNI