NATIONAL
CII organises seminar
on cluster development
Under the 11th
plan, the government is proposing to increase financial assistance
to existing clusters of micro, small and medium enterprises
up to 80 per cent of their financial requirements. This was
revealed by Vishwa Bandhu, General Manager in the Department
of Industries and Commerce, Punjab, at the interactive session
with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) organised by the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at Ludhiana today.
more
Enhancement
of cluster development scheme for building SME competitiveness
Under
the 11th Plan, the Government is proposing to increase the
financial assistance to existing clusters of Micro, Small
and Medium Enterprises upto 80% of their financial requirements.
This was revealed by Dr. Chandrapal, Secretary, Ministry of
Small Scale Industries & Rural and Agro Industries at
the SME Cluster Conclave organized by Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII), in partnership with the Ministry of Small
Scale Industries. “80% of the financial requirements
of the existing clusters will be given by the government under
the Micro Small Enterprises- Cluster Development Programme
proposed under the 11th Plan. This assistance will be provided
towards aspects such as technology upgradation and meeting
the financial gaps” said Dr. Chandrapal. more
Visionary
Leadership In Manufacturing Programme Launched
In
a new initiative to propel India’s manufacturing growth
to a new high, a path breaking Post Graduate Programme for
Executives called “Visionary Leadership in Manufacturing”
(PGPEX-VLM) was launched here yesterday by Dr. V. Krishnamurthy,
Chairman, National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC).
Dr. Krishnamurthy described this initiative as a milestone
in building up human capital, which is India’s biggest
asset. The Programme will generate “300 visionary leaders
in the manufacturing sector in the next three years”,
he said, while underlining that this was the first time that
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute
of Management (IIM) had joined hands to run a post graduate
programme. Dr. Krishnamurthy also indicated that India’s
manufacturing growth could reach 14% in the coming year and
the real challenge would be to sustain this growth so that
share of manufacturing in India’s GDP could be stepped
up from the current 17% to 30%. more
Clean
tech, IT open source get a push
The
Science and Technology (Scitech) Park at the University of
Pune will promote new ventures in clean technology and infotech
(IT) open source at its newly constructed second campus, named
‘Growth Lab', at Bhosari near here.
Authorities
were working on a project to facilitate solar water heater
manufacturing, besides a full-fledged commercial testing and
certification facility for solar equipment, jointly with the
Maharashtra Solar Manufacturers' Association, said S.P. Ranade,
trustee of the Scitech Park, at a press meet here on Sunday.
In
infotech open source, the focus would be on ventures in products
deploying geographic information system and global positioning
system and technologies for management of water and non-hazardous
solid wastes. more
Country’s
first Growth Lab to open at Bhosari
The country’s first ‘Growth Lab’ based on
the French model — which will promote innovation, research
and support business enterprises in the IT and industrial
hub — will take off in Bhosari on Tuesday.
The
lab will house business incubators to promote ventures in
clean technology and IT open source. Set up by Science and
Technology Park (STP) of the UoP with the help of the Department
of Science and Technology, the lab is based on the successful
French model of ‘Competitive Cluster Development Policy.’
STP Director General Dr Rajendra Jagdale revealed that the
idea of Growth Lab had emerged from the Indo-French bilateral
co-operation policy which envisioned five test clusters across
the country. more
Govt
may waive handloom weavers debt
The government is considering a proposal to waive handloom
weavers' debt and lower the bank lending rates to 7 per cent,
Textile Minister Shankersinh Vaghela said on Wednesday.
Replying
to supplementaries during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, Vaghela
said the Prime Minister's Office was considering a proposal
for lowering the lending rate to weavers to the level at which
money is loaned to farmers.
A
proposal to waive Rs 700-800 crore loan outstanding with handloom
weavers was also under consideration.
"The
proposal is under consideration and we will approach the Cabinet
soon for approval," he said.
The government has implemented an insurance and medical scheme
for weavers and 22 lakh weavers have been insured till date.
Besides, cluster development approach has been adopted to
improve the lot of the handloom weavers, he said. more
India
: Human capital needs to be tapped properly by manufacturing
sector
Human
capital is the most critical resource, which needs to be tapped
properly for India to achieve a sustained growth in the manufacturing
sector.
This
was stated by Dr. V. Krishnamurthy, Chairman, National Manufacturing
Competitiveness Council (NMCC), while launching the Post Graduate
Programme for Executives for Visionary Leadership in Manufacturing
(PGPEX-VLM).
Dr.
Krishnamurthy said that while India had done well by recording
impressive growth in the manufacturing sector, the biggest
concern was that of having highly skilled manpower to run
the sector. He complimented the stakeholders of PGPEX-VLM
and noted that this was the first occasion when the Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Management
(IIM) have joined hands to run a post graduate programme.
more
Govt
to meet 80% of SME’s capital needs
The
Government will increase financial assistance for micro, small
and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to 80 per cent of their capital
requirements in the 11th Five Year Plan, small scale industries
secretary Chandrapal has revealed. Addressing an SME Cluster
Conclave organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII), Chandrapal said,
“This
financial assistance will be provided for technology upgradation
and to meet financial gaps. It would be available for existing
MSMEs clusters. The government would give this incentive under
the MSME-Cluster Development Programme proposed under the
Eleventh Plan.”more
Manufacturing
Leadership Program Launched In India
A
new postgraduate program for executives called Visionary Leadership
in manufacturing was launched in India with the goal of generating
generate "300 visionary leaders in the manufacturing
sector in the next three years," said Dr. V. Krishnamurthy,
chairman, National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC).
Dr.
Krishnamurthy, pointed out that India's manufacturing growth
could reach 14% in the coming year and the real challenge
would be to sustain this growth so that share of manufacturing
in India's GDP could be stepped up from the current 17% to
30%. more
IIT,
IIM tie up for improving manufacturing skills
NEW
DELHI: With the growing demand for highly-skilled manpower
for Indian Manufacturing Industry, for the first time the
top most institutes of India IIT and IIM have joined hands
on Monday to launch a postgraduate program for improving the
skills of the executives working in the manufacturing sector.
The
postgraduate program has been designed by IIM Kolkata, IIT
Kanpur and IIT Madras in association with Confederation of
Indian Industry (CII) and Japan's International Cooperation
Agency. The program is named 'Executives in Manufacturing
for Visionary Leadership' by the National Manufacturing Competitiveness
Council (NMCC). more
Micro
& small enterprises to get up to 80% finance
The
government is considering higher financial assistance to existing
clusters of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) up
to 80% of their financial requirements under the 11th Five-Year
Plan, according to small-scale industries secretary Chandrapal.
At a SME cluster conclave organised by CII recently, the secretary
said the financial assistance will be provided under the MSME
cluster development programme for technology upgradation and
to meet financial gaps.
To
enable MSMEs become competitive, the government is proposing
a pool of consultants under its National Manufacturing Competitiveness
Programme. The consultants would be deployed with a cluster
of 8-10 companies for a period of one to one-and-a-half years,
a ministry official said. The cost of the consultants will
be borne by the government. more
Critical
Role of SMEs In Industrial Development Stressed At SME Cluster
Conclave
Close on the heels of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s
call to focus on the role of small & medium enterprises
(SMEs) in India’s industrial development, national and
international experts at an SME Cluster Conclave have emphasised
the critical importance of SMEs in India’s economic
growth. At the SME Cluster Conclave organised by Confederation
of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the Ministry
of Small Scale Industries here yesterday, it was indicated
by the Secretary, Ministry of Small Scale Industries &
Rural and Agro Industries, Dr. Chandrapal, that government
was proposing to increase financial assistance to existing
clusters of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) upto
as much as 80% of their financial requirements under the 11th
Plan. more
Plight
of SMEs may drag growth: PHDCCI
By
Sanjay Sharma, Bhopal, May 10: India Inc. is not very optimistic
about the growth of the manufacturing sector despite the overall
growth of the economy because technological obsolescence,
liquidity crunch and high rate of interest were major stumbling
blocks in the growth of small and medium enterprises (SME)
sector, says the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI).
"PHDCCI
has reached the above conclusion on the basis of a recent
Perception Analysis conducted by it among the peer leaders
of industry", said PHDCCI Resident Director Rajendra
Kothari adding, "the steady erosion of the share of manufacturing
subdued the mood of the manufacturing sector - the key driver
of the industry segment". more
Profitable
Partnership
Small
and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for nearly 50 per cent
of India's industrial output, but contribute less than 35
per cent of exports. Since the SMEs are an important constituent
of the supply chain, it is indeed quite intriguing to know
what holds them back from realising their potential in the
international markets.
India
has nearly three million small and medium enterprises. They
constitute 80 per cent of the total number of industrial enterprises
and over 50 per cent of private sector employment. It is the
micro-enterprises and SMEs that discover the dynamic comparative
advantages of a country. more
SMEs
hit by RBI policy: Chamber
The Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry today said the business
of small and medium sector enterprises had been adversely
affected.
Giving reasons for this, president of the chamber, PD Sharma,
said, “The cost of raw material is rising, working capital
requirement is increasing. On the other hand, there is liquidity
crunch in the market and the banking sector. This is mainly
due to the wrong monetary policy of the Reserve Bank of India
to control inflation.” more
Textile
clusters in Tamil Nadu
The
Union Textiles Ministry is in the process of establishing
textile clusters and common facility centers in strategic
locations across Tamil Nadu.
A
total of 20 clusters had been planned in the country and of
this three would be in Tamil Nadu, G Ramesh Babu, Quality
Assurance Officer and Cluster Development Agent, Textiles
Committee (Ministry of Textiles), told reporters here.
Taken
up under the Integrated Handloom Cluster Development Programme,
feasibility studies were being undertaken for the formation
of the common facility centres. more
Top
chambers expand their base, roles
Reforms
in the Indian economy have brought about a change in the nature,
role and functioning of industry chambers and their membership,
both in terms of composition and numbers.
Of the industry chambers, the three main ones—the Confederation
of Indian Industry (CII), the Federation of Indian Chambers
of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) and the Associated Chambers
of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham)—have registered
significant increases in membership from the manufacturing
sector over the last three financial years. more
INTERNATIONAL
Finance for SMEs needs big rethink
Access to finance for small businesses is an issue debated
continuously by suppliers and users of risk capital, in SA
as much as anywhere. What sets the South African situation
apart is that the issue of access to funding is somewhat more
complex, due to our history and the need for not only small
and medium enterprise (SME) development, but also socioeconomic
transformation.
SA
has sufficient capital available through financial institutions
to fund thousands of small businesses, but faces the challenge
of unlocking this capital, while satisfying the concerns of
the institutions’ credit committees. more
Uniting
economic vision, Cluster project first step in forming regional
identity
The
Pikes Peak Workforce Center is leading the way for a 12-region
economic development partnership that is intended to bolster
job growth and create an economic identity for southeastern
Colorado.
The
center is using a $200,000 federal grant to pay for a study
about economic clusters. The study, which is being conducted
by James Gollub Sr., vice president of ICF Consulting, is
expected to be completed in August.
This
is the first time that the Pikes Peak region has been involved
in a cluster study that includes all of southeastern Colorado,
according to Jeanne Cotter, workforce center spokeswoman.
more
Make
the most of research funding opportunities, Potocnik tells
EU food industry
EU Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik has urged
small businesses to make the most of the research funding
opportunities available for the future competitiveness of
the European food industry.
Speaking
at the 'Perspective for Food 2030' conference, Mr Potocnik
recommended that the EU's food industry, consisting mainly
of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), to undertake
research that takes into account the whole food chain - from
the beginning to the end of the food cycle - in order to meet
the industry's innovation challenge. more
Indian
SME exhibition to be held in Myanmar
An
Indian small and medium entrepreneurs (SME) exhibition will
be held in Yangon, Myanmar's former capital, late this year,
aimed at boosting bilateral trade and cooperation, the local
Newsweek journal reported Wednesday.
The
SME India 2007 exhibition, set on Nov. 25, is also aimed at
absorbing Indian SMEs to invest in Myanmar, the Indo-Myanmar
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI) was quoted as saying.
more
ESA
training programme 2007 for industry
To
improve and develop the skills and expertise of SMEs, and
to help them meet the challenges of space requirements, ESA’s
SME Unit is organising four training courses this year.
‘Writing a good proposal for an ESA ITT’ and ‘Financing
innovative projects’ are the two first courses taking
place in June with a registration deadline of 25 May.
Since
1999 ESA has taken a number of measures in support of industrial
competitiveness in general and of Small- and Medium-sized
Enterprises (SMEs) in particular. The dynamism, flexibility
and innovative capabilities of high-technology SMEs are of
high value to Europe’s space industry and the Agency’s
actively encouraging this industrial group to become involved
in its space programmes through its SME initiative. more
Portugal
seeks collaboration on SME development
As
Portugal assumed the post of European Union President, the
country's ambassador in Nigeria has paid a courtesy call on
the Director-General of Small and Medium Enterprises Development
Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Modupe Adelaja, to explore areas
of cooperation.
ISAAC
AREGBESOLA, Abuja Maria de Fatima Perestrello disclosed that
Portugal would assume the six-month rotational Presidency
of the European Union, on July 1, this year, taking over from
Germany. Tracing a long history of relationship and cooperation
with Africa, the Portuguese ambassador disclosed the intention
of the government of Portugal to use the period of her presidency
of EU to re-enact a robust relationship between European and
African continents. more
RP SMEs
least competitive in Asia-Pacific, poll shows
Philippines
small and medium enterprises still believe that they are less
competitive in the Asia-Pacific region for the third straight
year, according to the 2007 UPS Asia Business Monitor.Logistics
service firm UPS' yearly survey, which was started in 2005,
is Asia's first comprehensive study into SME competitiveness,
a report on the results said.
The
latest poll covered 1,200 SME leaders between Nov. 15, 2006
and Jan. 10, 2007, including 100 from the Philippines.
Other
respondents are based in 11 countries and territories--Australia,
China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia,
Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. more
SMEs
need to adopt right strategies
SMALL
and Medium Enterprises (SME) need to adopt the right strategies
to reposition themselves in order to be competitive in all
market segments.
Minister
of Enterprise and Employment Lutfo Dlamini, speaking through
Minister of Health and Social Welfare Njabulo Mabuza, at the
launch of the
Diversification
and Enhancement of SME Competitiveness Project' yesterday,
said local SMEs should be able to compete in both local and
international markets. Dlamini said the need to intensify
co-operative arrangements in production needed not to be over-emphasised,
especially in the case of Swaziland. more
ARTICLES
Complete dereservation may not be feasible by Mr. Narayana
Government
of India’s notified items for exclusive manufacturing
(but not marketing) by the officially defined small-scale
industries (SSIs) are called reserved items or reservation
policy for SSIs. The policy aims to protect the SSIs from
competition of domestic medium and large scale sector in mass
consumption goods with the main objective of employment generation.
Started on 11 April 1967 with 42 reserved items, the policy
reached its peak with 874 items in October 1986. A process
of gradual removal of items from reserved list or explicit
dereservation has been implemented for 836 items in April
1997. As on 13 March 2007, 581 (or about 70 percent) items
have been explicitly dereserved from this list. more
High
interest rates dry economy by Aparna Ramalingam
Up,
up and away...that's the way interest rates have been going
in the last four months. While the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
has been hardening rates since the second half of 2004, the
pace has picked up sharply. Indicative of the broad trend
in tightening is the trend in mortgage lending rates. While
they had moved up only 50 basis points from the bottom of
7.5% during the 17-month period between September 2004 and
January 2006 and 150bp in the 10-month period between February
2006 and November 2006, it has moved up sharply by 250bp in
the four-month period between December 2006 and March 2007.
A similar trend is reflected in consumer loan rates and borrowing
costs for small and medium-sized companies. In fact, prime
lending rates (PLRs) now hover around the 13% mark. more
EVENTS
SME
Expo Logistics
Start
Date: 16-Aug-2007
End Date: 18-Aug-2007
Venue: Nehru Centre, Mumbai (India)
Event
Profile
SME Expo Logistics exhibition and conference brings decision
makers, customers, partners, and competitors from logistic
industry under a single roof. The exposition provides networking
and partnership opportunities for logistics / technology solution
providers to launch innovative products and services. It also
provides excellent opportunities for SME’s of logistic
industry to promote business and share know-how about the
industry. more
IT for
SME
Start
Date : 24-Aug-2007
End Date : 25-Aug-2007
Venue : The Manohar,Hyderabad (India)
Event
Profile
IT for SME exhibition is India’s largest event focusing
on IT adoption by small and medium enterprises. It was established
in the year 2006. The exhibition is a combination of business
exhibition, workshops, IT-SME forum and IT counseling. IT
for SME exhibition aims to educate small and medium companies
about the strategies of right IT adoption. This event is promoted
by the VIN media, a leading firm based in Hyderabad. more
SME
Expo 2007
Duration
: 5th - 7th October 2007
Venue : Hitex Exhibition Centre, Madhapur, Hyderabad, Andhra
Pradesh, India
Event
Profile
SME Expo will be an exposition for showcasing the emerging
high technology manufacturing capabilities of Small &
Medium Manufacturing Enterprises in India. A major trade promotion
event aimed at helping Hong Kong small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) capture the business opportunities for exploring the
mainland market and overseas markets. more
|
Disclaimer: