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BHEL Small Industries Association (BHELSIA) has mooted to the State Government formation of a Core Committee consisting of members from the five nodes: Chennai, Tiruchi, Coimbatore, Hosur and Salem, to hold fortnightly meetings for fructification of defence orders,
under the purview of Tamil Nadu Industrial Investment Corporation / Tamilnadu Industrial Development Corporation.
In a memorandum submitted to the Minister for Industries Thangam Thennarasu, on ‘undertaking of Defence and Railway orders by MSME units of Tamil Nadu’, BHELSIA president Rajappa Rajkumar said that though various seminars and exhibitions were conducted in the last two years, there has not been much of progress (in securing defence orders).
Tamil Nadu has a built-in capacity for fabricating and machining products to the extent of 14 lakh tonnes per annum of which Tiruchi alone accounts for seven lakh tonne capacity.
“Now, the capacity is underutilised and there is a dire need of orders to justify the investment made,” Mr. Rajappa Rajkumar said.
The proposed Core Committee, through the periodic meeting, could share information of the facilties extended by the Government of India for starting cluster/incubation centre for assisting and developing new products, and to study and implement the marketing arrangements by a government agencyh similar to the formula existing in Israel, besides studying the export opportunities for defence products.
Only through such an initiative can Tamil Nadu be able to get orders, utilise the capacity created, and provide more employment resulting in better revenue for the State, the memorandum said.
