Minister for Industries and IT Gudivada Amarnath has said that the basic infrastructure for starting of industries is available in Andhra Pradesh and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs) are key to the industrial development of the State.
Participating as a chief guest at the State-level International MSME Day celebrations held at the VMRDA Children’s Arena here on Monday evening, Mr. Amarnath said there was ample scope for setting up of industries in the district. He called upon the officials to accord priority to agro-based industries and to inform prospective entrepreneurs of the incentives being extended by the government.
He said that in the next couple of years Visakhapatnam district would take the lead in the establishment of industries. Frequent meetings would be held to allot land to prospective entrepreneurs for setting up of industries. The officials should understand the problems of entrepreneurs and strive to solve them, he said..
District Collector A. Mallikarjuna said that ‘MSME Restart programme’ would be implemented as part of the move to promote MSMEs in a big way.
MSME Chairman Ravindranath said that under the Prime Minister’s Employment Guarantee Programme (PMEGP) entrepreneurs could avail of loan up to ₹20 lakh for establishing industries in the service sector.
The beneficiaries belonging to SC, ST, Women, EBC, Ex-Servicemen and physically challenged categories could get margin money for starting their projects, based on their category.
Industries Director G. Srijana recalled that entrepreneurs and industrialists had faced innumerable difficulties during the pandemic. The government was offering several incentives to them to tide over the crisis. She suggested promotion of clusters along with MSMEs.
A website of MSME Development Corporation, developed by e-pragathi, was launched on the occasion.
MLC P.V.N. Madhav, MSME National Board Member P. Vishnu Kumar Raju, Additional Director of Industries Vallabhai Patel, MSME Directors, entrepreneurs and industrialists participated.
