Take advantage of package for SMEs, urges Mahabir Prasad

New Delhi, Apr 2 (UNI) Minister for Small Scale and Agro Rural Industries Mahabir Prasad urged the state governments to take the benefit of the Package for Micro, Medium and Small Enterprises announced by the Centre recently.

Inaugurating a conference on 'Small and Medium Enterprises, Past, Present and Future' here today Mr Prasad said, as per the commitment of the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP), the Central Government announced this Package.

He said the Package included loan, assistance for cluster-based development, assistance for entrepreneurial development and quality enhancement, marketing assistance, empowerment of women entrepreneurs etc.

The minister further stated that the SMEs sector contribute to 39 per cent of the GDP and 34 per cent of exports from India.

In the first four years of the Tenth Plan, the annual growth rate of this sector has been 8.87 per cent.

He expressed the hope that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 would go a long way to develop this sector substantially and take it to a greater height.

Dr Chandrapal, Secretary, Small Scale Industries and Agro and Rural Industries, Mr Bernd Muetzelburg, Ambassador of Germany to India and Dr Michael Fuchs, MP and Chairman of the Parliamentary Group for medium-sized businesses of Germany also spoke on this occasion.

UNI