A three-day industrial and trade exhibition, DICCI Expo-2015, providing a platform for SC/ST entrepreneurs to showcase their products and services is to be conducted in the city from February 13.
Companies from across the country will be participating in the expo, being organised on 1.20 lakh sq ft area at Hitex, International Convention Centre, by the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DICCI). Associated with the expo are the National Small Industries Corporation Ltd (NSIC), Telangana government, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Tata group.
DICCI President (South India) Narra Ravi Kumar, who addressed a road show here on Monday, said the expo assumes significance in the context of the public procurement policy for micro and small enterprises (MSEs) becoming mandatory from April 1 this year. As per the policy, government departments and public sector enterprises need to procure 20 per cent of their requirements of products and services from MSEs. A sub-reservation, equal to four per cent of the total, is to be procured from SC/ST-owned enterprises.
Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation chairman and managing director Jayesh Ranjan said under the TS-Pride (Telangana State Programme for Rapid Incubation of Dalit Entrepreneurs), the State government is considering introducing a similar procurement policy, launch a credit guarantee scheme and a special direct funding programme for financing SC/ST entrepreneurs.
Industries Minister Jupally Krishna Rao said there was a need for creating awareness about the government schemes for SC/ST entrepreneurs in rural areas. One of the measures, he added, was the preferential allotment of plots in industrial parks for them.
