More schemes, facilities and handholding initiatives will be unveiled soon for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Tamil Nadu, Harmander Singh, Industries Commissioner and Director of Industries and Commerce, said here on Friday.
Inaugurating the Coimbatore Economic Summit 2012, organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he said that in 2011-2012, the State Government allocated Rs.100 crore for MSMEs. This year it would be more than Rs. 150 crore and with the Central Government subsidy too, it would cross Rs. 200 crore.
Coimbatore was in the forefront in getting benefits from many of these schemes. For instance, 284 people benefited from the employment guarantee scheme for the unemployed youth here last year and subsidy of Rs. 1 crore was disbursed here. This year, already 250 have applied.
“The State Government has taken a determined view to promote MSMEs,” he said. It offered capital subsidy, reimbursement of Value Added Tax, subsidy to purchase generator sets, employment guarantee programme for unemployed youth, etc. The allocation had increased every year for the sector. The micro and small industry facilitation council meet regularly. In Coimbatore there were nearly 300 cases for the council and nearly 80 were solved last year, settling about Rs.3.5 crore.
Tamil Nadu had the largest number of micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) in India. The State also had the largest number of micro enterprises. Of the total employment in the MSME sector in the country, 15 per cent was in Tamil Nadu, he said.
Jayakumar Ramdass, convenor of the event, said Coimbatore required a Metropolitan Development Authority. The city seemed to have lost share in core sectors like textiles and pumpsets.
R. R. Balasundaram, president of the chamber, spoke.
