<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> e-Newsletter Clusterkraft

Clusterkraft e-Newsletter (Vol.19)

NATIONAL

  • India and Pakistan unite for GI of Basmati
  • The new GI Roadmap
  • Pithampur Auto Cluster to get 5 Cr. Boost
  • Four textile parks coming up in TN
  • Banks to infuse more investment in SME clusters
  • PM for low interest facility to handloom clusters
  • Dalit Industrial Cluster Development Proposed
  • Manufacturing Clusters to get a boost: FM

INTERNATIONAL

  • Philippine govt to promote IT usage in SMEs
  • Philippines govt. supports entrepreneurship, livelihood, jobs
  • Cluster Research to Spur Economic Growth in UTAH

Articles

  • Shall SMEs benefit for the SEZs?
  • Cluster risk-profiling to enhance SME rating efficiency
  • Enhanced competitiveness by modernization the key to survive for SMEs
  • A story of artisanal cluster progression: SKKK
  • Rajkot Diesel Engine Cluster on a roll

NATIONAL

India and Pakistan unite for GI of Basmati
India and Pakistan will file a joint application for Geographical Indication (GI) Registration in the U.S. and Europe for Basmati rice. India individually has dropped the idea of registering Basmati rice as it is grown both in India and Pakistan. More...

The new GI Roadmap
The Union Government has begun the process of identifying products, including varieties of coffee, pepper, and cardamom that need to be registered as Geographical Indications to protect the country's trade interests. More...

Pithampur Auto Cluster to get 5 Cr. Boost
The UK-based Caparo group is planning to invest Rs 5 crore in the tool room of the Pithampur Auto Cluster Private Ltd (PACPL). The proposed cluster envisages the creation of a tool room, a technical service centre, a hazardous waste disposal site, a modern industrial training institute, and a business centre for small and medium enterprises. More...

Four textile parks coming up in TN
The Centre will set up four integrated textile parks in Tamil Nadu at Tirupur, Erode, Palladam and Cuddalore. In all, 25 integrated textile parks will be set up in the country, creating five lakh jobs by the end of next year. The investment in the textile sector during 2005-06 would be around Rs 30,000 crore, which was expected to generate 1.2 crore jobs by the year 2010. More...

Banks to infuse more investment in SME clusters
With small and medium enterprises (SME) desperately seeking more infusion of capital by the banks to be able to achieve sustainability and handle increasing pressures, the Government, policy makers and bankers have stepped up efforts to improve conditions in the sector. While banks have been called upon to take steps for improvement in involvement and participation in the SSI and SME sectors, proposals have also been mooted to adopt a cluster approach to make plans fruitful. More...

PM for low interest facility to handloom clusters
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has asked the Finance Minister to consider the feasibility of extending the low interest facility provided for agricultural loans to handloom weavers as well. Dr. Singh said that he had asked the Textile and Finance Ministers to look at the problem of debt which is afflicting handloom cooperatives so that this can be rescheduled or cooperatives recapitalized in a manner similar to that done for cooperative banks through the Vadyanathan Committee. More...

Dalit Industrial Cluster Development Proposed
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, FICCI, does not want reservations in the private industry. It has proposed an alternative to the Finance Minister. FICCI gave a proposal for developing manufacturing clusters in districts dominated by dalits. There are 27 such districts in the country says FICCI, where the dalit population is 40% plus. More...

Manufacturing Clusters to get a boost: FM
The finance ministry, in consultation with the Prime Minister’s office, would evolve a mechanism to give an impetus to the manufacturing sector. The move was aimed at increasing the rate of growth in manufacturing to 12% from the present 9%, finance minister P Chidambaram said on Wednesday. He said reforms in power and mining sectors, and fiscal sops for employment-intensive industrial clusters would get priority in the action plan. More...

INTERNATIONAL

Philippine govt to promote IT usage in SMEs
The Philippine Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) is conducting seminars that aim to promote awareness and increase the level of technology usage among the country's small and medium enterprises or SMEs. The government's target is to have at least 200,000 ICT-enabled SMEs by 2010. More...

Philippines govt. supports entrepreneurship, livelihood, jobs
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Roxas City, in the province of Capiz, Philippines has helped propel small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through its support to the science and technology component of projects. DOST's array of support to SMEs included Technology Transfer and Commercialization, Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading, Human Resource and Development, Science and Technology Promotion and Advocacy, and Information and Communications Technology and E-Governance. More...

Cluster Research to Spur Economic Growth in UTAH
The American state of Utah has embarked this week on a 65-million dollar experiment to spur economic growth through university research. Bio-tech, aerospace, and information technology industries have been identified as key economic clusters. The all-volunteer USTAR board is expected to hold Utah's research universities accountable for how the new funds are spent. More...

Articles

Shall SMEs benefit for the SEZs?
This article analyses the SEZ structure and how it shall benefit India per se. it describes what an SEZ I, its benefits, and sops. From the SSI perspective, there are two important provisions. First, SEZ units are exempt from industrial licensing requirements, i.e. they are free to manufacture items reserved exclusively for SSIs. Second, there is no cap on FDI (currently 26% in DTA). More...

Cluster risk-profiling to enhance SME rating efficiency
Cluster-based financing is an approach, where attempts are made to identify, select and finance clusters of SMEs, based on the broad characteristics. Thus, apart from financials and industry grouping, knowledge of a cluster is vital for fully understanding, assessing, and rating SMEs in one. Through cluster-based financing, approach banks are expected to economize upon their time and resources, by extending credit to SMEs in a cluster based on the standardized procedures and paperwork and reduced due diligence. More...

Enhanced competitiveness by modernization the key to survive for SMEs
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been experiencing increased internal and external competition and a harsh business environment as a result of the ongoing process of liberalization and globalization. WTO conditionality has made the situation more difficult. The solution lies in enhancing competitiveness through modernization and technology upgradation. The recent clubbing of micro, small, and medium enterprises for policy purposes and raising of the investment ceiling for SSIs is expected to encourage modernization. In fact, it was expected in some quarters that the present ceiling of 24% in equity participation of SSIs by other industrial undertakings, would also be announced simultaneously. More...

A story of artisanal cluster progression: SKKK
Sandur Kushala Kala Kendra (SKKK) established in 1984 by the Sandur Manganese and Iron Ores Limited (SMIORE) has transformed the lives of the local Lambani women and the craftsperson’s of Sandur and the neighboring regions. Apart from textile-based craft, the Kendra also supports stone sculpture, cane and bamboo craft. SKKK acknowledges the help of DC (Handicrafts) for many of their programmes and together with NABARD Bangalore and the Zilla Panchayat Bellary, implemented the Cluster Development Program. More...

Rajkot Diesel Engine Cluster on a roll
BARELY a couple of years back, Rajkot's diesel engine manufacturers had lost steam, following large-scale dumping of cheap and more efficient Chinese products. Then came a new wave. Akin to what happens in Chinese SSI clusters, the local manufacturers , got together and developed common models of low-cost , light diesel engines. Result: They turned the tables on the Chinese. More...

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