| At present, a small-scale unit with an annual turnover of up to Rs 4 crore, can avail of full excise duty exemption on the first clearance of Rs 1 crore. The industry has urged that this limit be hiked to Rs 2 crore. |
| "We have been in touch with the finance ministry, and have sought an appointment from the revenue secretary for tomorrow," SSI Secretary Anupam Dasgupta said at a seminar organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce today. |
| The SSI ministry is also planning to hold talks with state governments. These will address the problems faced by industries which have re-located from unauthorised to authorised, and to provide a "carry-on-business certificate" for a six-month period to units in the process of shifting. |
| Dasgupta said the government was trying to chalk out a unified legislation to ensure their development and to enhance their competitiveness. |
| He said the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Bill 2005, introduced in Parliament earlier this month, contained provisions like self-certification. |
| Such provisions will lessen the inspector raj in the sector. He said the objective was to minimise regulation in the sector, as it could not be done away with. |
| The Bill had also taken care of delayed payments to small enterprises and preferential procurement from these units, Dasgupta said. "The Bill sends a message that the government considers this issue very significant," he said. |
| " We will see that the operation becomes effective," he added. To enable small enterprises to grow, the government had introduced the SME Development Bill, which provided relaxation in labour laws for units with more than 50 employees. |
| For speedy completion of contracts, the Bill had limited the period of making payments to 75 days (from the day of acceptance or the day of deemed acceptance). |
| It also provided that a 9 per cent interest on the delayed amount be charged, in case a firm failed to make payments within the stipulated period. |
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