At the initiative of the Tamilnadu Small and Tiny Industries Association (TANSTIA) the Centre has formed a task force under the aegis of the Planning Commission to address the problems faced by lakhs of small units in the country.
In this regard Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for a meeting of all State Ministers and officials in Delhi on May 11, according to D.Gandhikumar, president of TANSTIA.
He was addressing the seminar on “Opportunities for micro and small-scale industries” jointly organised here by the TANSTIA and the Micro and Small Enterprises Association of Cuddalore District here on Friday. Mr. Gandhikumar said that since Independence the small-scale sector was never in the reckoning of the policy-makers. The TANSTIA took up the cause of the entrepreneurs, numbering about 42 lakh in the country, and insisted upon the Centre to take them also into confidence while framing the industrial policy as they too played a significant role in the economic development of the country.
Heeding their requests Mr Manmohan Singh had invited the TANSTIA office-bearers to his residence, twice within a year, to discuss the issue.
Mr Gandhikumar said the entrepreneurs in Cuddalore could cater to the needs of the agricultural and fishing sectors.
K.Gopalakrishnan, TANSTIA general secretary, S.Ashok and G.Ramalingam, president and secretary of the Cuddalore Association, participated.
