MSME virtual repository launched by IIA.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which account for 17 per cent of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), have a reason to cheer in 2011.
A virtual MSME repository has been launched for the benefit of the sector by industry chamber Indian Industries Association (IIA). The repository named ‘MSME Data Centre’ will offer useful and relevant information regarding the MSMEs in both offline and online modes.
Uttar Pradesh has an estimated 1.2 million MSME units comprising registered and unregistered units across the state, contributing almost 60 per cent to its industrial output.
In the first phase, the repository has been made available to the members, however, later it would be upgraded to the public domain for seeking information about the sector.
Lucknow-based IIA has over 40 chapters in India with a membership base of nearly 7,000.
“The Centre will not only emerge as an useful information resource, but improve the efficiency of the chamber to act pro-actively for the benefit of the sector,” IIA President Anil Gupta said.
MSME Knowledge Bank (MKB) of IIA had already been collecting, collating and disseminating useful information pertaining to the sector. Now, this will be done electronically.
Major MSME pockets in the state includes Varanasi, Allahabad, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Ferozabad, Meerut, Bhadohi, Ghaziabad, Noida, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Khurja, Aligarh and Mathura.
These are product-specific hubs, for example Varanasi is famous for banarasi sari, Agra and Kanpur for leather, Bhadohi for carpets, Moradabad for brassware, Lucknow for chikan handloom and Aligarh for locks.
There are a large number of auto ancillaries in Ghaziabad. Uttar Pradesh accounts for a major portion of leather goods production in the country, while almost 15 per cent of the total fabric produced in India comes from the state.
The MSMEs in the state have been demanding the state government to pro-actively nurture the sector and provide incentives in terms of special economic zones, cheaper land availability, uninterrupted power, congenial policy regime, cheaper credit, capacity building and marketing support.
On a national basis, MSMEs account for 45 per cent of India’s manufacturing, 40 per cent of exports, 17 per cent of GDP, providing employment to 60 million people with a product range of 8,000. There are estimated 25 million MSMEs in India.
