State to Partner with Indian Heads of MNCs for Global Investment, says Mr. Subhash Desai

“MSMEs in Maharashtra have demonstrated their competitiveness in price, quality and timely delivery of goods in the global market. I am here to honour these MSMEs for their admirable contribution to employment generation and exports. It is heartening to note that more and more women are venturing into the male-dominated area of entrepreneurship and trade. Women can avail various benefits under the state government’s dedicated industrial policy for women entrepreneurs. In future, Government of Maharashtra will encourage participation of MSMEs and women entrepreneurs in international trade delegations. This will promote joint ventures between Indian and foreign MSMEs.” said Mr. Subhash Desai, Hon’ble Minister of Industry and Mining, Government of Maharashtra. The minister wasaddressing the Seminar on ‘International Opportunities for MSMEs and MSME and Exporters Awards’ organised by MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai in association with the Industries Department, Government of Maharashtra on the occasion of International MSME day.

Government of Maharashtra has taken various initiatives to promote exports and support MSMEs in the state. One of the initiatives is setting up an export promotion council not only for promoting exports of the state but also for attracting foreign direct investment.

The minister further said, “The Global Investment Promotion Council, headed by the Chief Minister, will attract foreign direct investment from MNCs such as Google, Microsoft and Adobe. Various such initiatives and schemes such as Maharashtra Global Investment Forum will be initiated by the state government soon.”

In his address, Mr. Atul Save, Hon’ble Minister State Minister (Industry), Government of Maharashtra encouraged MSMEs to take advantage of the anti-dumping measures imposed by USA and Europe on Chinese goods. He said, “India is the next preferred destination for mass manufacturing after China. Already, Indian goods are superior to Chinese goods on price and quality. Our ambitious initiatives such as Make in India, Magnetic Maharashtra are benefitting entrepreneurs.”

Mr. Save pointed out that the government is addressing lack of skilled manpower by opening training centers in rural areas under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY).

Speaking on this occasion, Mr. Satish Gavai (IAS), Additional Chief Secretary (Industry), Government of Maharashtra said, “Government of Maharashtra recognizes the fact that the future of the economy lies in the hands of MSMEs. MSME entrepreneurs must develop bravery and resilience. We are trying to develop an enabling environment for MSMEs by reducing redtapism and improving ease of doing business.”

In his remarks, Dr. Harshdeep Kamble, Development Commissioner (Industries), Government of Maharashtra said, “MSMEs play an important role in realizing our target of transforming Maharashtra into a global hub for manufacturing, investment and technology. Government of Maharashtra offers grants to MSMEs upto the turnover of Rs. 50 crore, which is higher than the turnover limit of Rs. 10 crore set by the central government. The state government has also set up Rs. 100 crore for cluster development project.”

Speaking about the initiatives of the state government to generate employment, Dr. Kamble said, “Government of Maharashtra aims to generate 8-10 lakh jobs under its flagship scheme Chief Minister’s Employment Generation Programme over the next five years. The government aims to provide grants to 10,000 units under this programme in the current year and 20,000 units in the following year. Our objective is to generate 40 lakh job opportunities in the state over five years.”

The state government also announced 20% more financial incentives for agro-processing units and 75% subsidy for expenses incurred on quality certification.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Mr. Vijay Kalantri, Vice Chairman, MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai said, “MSMEs are the engine of economic growth. In order to support these enterprises, Government of Maharashtra must revive SICOM and Maharashtra State Financial Corporation (MSFC). These two institutions played a vital role in addressing the financial needs of the industry. Maharashtra witnessed sound growth when these two institutions were active in the MSME sector.”

Mr. Kalantri also suggested policymakers to rationalize policy framework by removing regressive laws and improving ease of doing business.

Speaking on this occasion, Ms. Rupa Naik, Senior Director, MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai suggested MSMEs and women entrepreneurs to participate in international trade fairs and exhibition to explore global market. She also proposed Government of India to set up foreign offices of India’s trade promotion organisation, on the lines of KOTRA, TAITRA, PROMEXICO etc.

Ms. Naik invited women entrepreneurs to register themselves on SheTrades, which is web and mobile app, a flagship initiative of ITC Geneva. This app is targeted to connect 3 million women entrepreneurs across the globe by 2025.

Dr. P. Anbalagan, Chief Executive Officer, MIDC was also present at the event.

On this occasion, Government of Maharashtra felicitated more than 55 MSMEs, including exporters and farmers from across Maharashtra for their valuable contribution to employment creation and international trade.

The event also featured an interactive panel session, where experts suggested MSMEs to register on online platforms such as Government e-Marketplace (GeM) and Amazon. By registering with the GeM, MSMEs can benefit from the mandatory 25% procurement norms of public sector undertakings.

The panel session was addressed by Dr. Shrikant Kamat, Leader – Customs & International Trade, BDO India LLP, Mr. Pramod Sant, VP - Head of Import Export and Customs, Siemens India and Ms. Lubeina Shahpurwala, Co- Founder, Mustang Socks. Mr. Siddhartha Rastogi, Managing Director, Ambit Capital - Asset Management moderated the panel session.

The seminar was also addressed by Mr. Ajay Thakur, CEO, SME-Exchange, Mumbai and Mr. Krishnalal Dhingra, Regional Chairman (WR), EEPC India and Dr. Amar Banerji, Head, Technology Transfer & Collaboration Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

The event received overwhelming response from representatives of more than 500 MSMEs, consular corps, export promotion councils, chambers of commerce and consultancy organizations.