A delegation of the Confederation of Indian Industry micro, small and medium enterprise (CII MSME) division met Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry officials recently to highlight the problems faced by the SME sector. CII MSME Council Chairman Ramesh Datla tells Indivjal Dhasmana that the delegation urged the ministry to simplify procedures for the SME sector and expeditiously implement the draft policy for reservation of 20 per cent for this sector in government procurement.

Q&A: Ramesh Datla, Chairman, CII MSME Council

Business Standard

A survey of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the plastics sector has revealed that a majority are upbeat about their prospects in 2011, with 51.28 per cent expecting sales growth of more than 20 per cent over 2010, while 37.18 per cent are hopeful of growth of up to 20 per cent.

Plastics units upbeat about 2011

I refer to the minutes of Case No 3 of the Policy Interpretation Committee (PIC) meeting dated 29th April 2011, which says that mere registration with the Registrar of Companies (RoC) does not give service providers the status of an Indian company for Served From India (SFIS) benefit. The Committee felt that the firms need to prove how they are Indian companies by way of their shareholding pattern, which would enable the committee to determine whether they are a truly Indian company or not. It was decided that details from RoC need to be collected in regard to shareholding/ownership status of all these companies before a view can be taken by the PIC.

'PIC definition of service provider violates national treatment principle'

Uttar Pradesh government today directed small industries department mandarins to engage and woo national and international entrepreneurs for setting up units in the state.

UP to woo entrepreneurs for small industries

The medium and small scale enterprises (MSMEs) of Himachal Pradesh are facing a tough time amidst fresh hiking of bank rates announced by Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Arun Rawat, president, Baddi Barotiwala Nalagarh Industries Association (BBNIA) said every two per cent increase in interest rates results in a 10 per cent profit-eroding for the Medium and Small Scale Industries.

Himachal MSME sector demands interest subvention

Though the reintroduction of the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) after a gap of nine months has set the ball rolling with regard to projects that were kept on hold, including those of spinning mills, looms and other textile sector investments, the reduction in repayment period for loans is likely to make things difficult for these units.

Reduction in repayment period to hit new units: Sima

There are around 35 million medium, small and tiny enterprises across the country, but less than two million of them are online, according to Sridhar Seshadri, Head of Online Sales at Google India.

57% of SMEs use internet as sales channel, finds survey

A few years ago, Anil P Joshi, a social activist from the Kotdwar area of Uttarakhand, took up the task of bringing back to life defunct watermills in Uttarakhand, with the aim of producing green power.

Bringing back Himalayan watermills to life

Having been a supplier to the Indian defence and aerospace sectors for the past four decades, MTAR Technologies Private Limited, which fabricates precision components and complex engine systems, is one of the very few Indian companies that can claim to have the capability to build an entire nuclear reactor on its own. P Ravinder Reddy, chairman of the Hyderabad-based company, which is now focusing more on global opportunities, speaks to B Dasarath Reddy.

Q&A: P Ravinder Reddy, Chairman, MTAR Technologies Pvt Ltd

Against our advance authorisation, we have fulfilled our export obligation and submitted necessary documents to the Joint Director General of Foreign Trade (JDGFT), who has issued the export obligation discharge certificate (EODC). We have submitted the same to the Customs but they are asking for documents again to confirm discharge of export obligation.

'Seaway Bill is proof of receipt of goods'

Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), a Central government organisation under the ministry of MSME, is developing a handloom cluster in the Mangalore area of Haridwar district under an integrated handloom development scheme in Uttarakhand &mdash; a move that would benefit over 400 weavers, mostly Muslims.

IIE develops handloom cluster at Haridwar

Ozonetel Systems, a Hyderabad-headquartered cloud telephony services firm, has launched a virtual PBX system that does away with the need for on-site equipment and wiring of a conventional PBX system as well as the need for a separate PBX for different offices of a company.

Ozonetel offers virtual PBX for start-ups

Forms an Automotive Skills Development Council to tie up with training institutes.

Auto parts industry chalks out plans to source skilled workers

To address the issue of scarcity of skilled manpower, the Rajkot Machine Tools Manufacturers Association (RMTMA) has set the ball rolling for imparting education to workers of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on subjects such as design, tools, marketing, technology and even management. Some of these programmes have been initiated with the help of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Unido).

Rajkot SMEs to get design, marketing lessons

Participation of MNCs into the three-day 'FGI Expo 2010-Ancillary Development Summit', beginning here from December 2 will ensure more business for MSMEs in Gujarat, a top company official has said.

More biz for MSMEs to come at FGI Expo

Press Trust of India

In April-May 2009, the collector of Maharashtra&rsquo;s Kolhapur district &ndash; Laxmikant Deshmukh &ndash; began an initiative to collect sonography data from all sonography centres in the district to tackle the skewed sex ratio. He discovered that there was a need for a system that could monitor the activities of doctors and prevent under-reporting and false reporting of pregnancy tests.

New device helps curb female foeticide

The mountainous terrain, a fragile environment, small and fragmented holdings, a complete lack of irrigation facilities and poor marketing infrastructure, among other factors, has hampered the growth of horticulture in Uttarakhand.

U'khand to boost horticulture with 20,000 'polyhouses'

The Google AdWords platform completed 10 years last month, and during this period it has helped over a million small and medium enterprises globally to leverage the power of search engine advertising. Sridhar Seshadri, head of online sales at Google India, describes the company&rsquo;s strategy in an e-mail interaction with Business Standard.

Q&A: Sridhar Seshadri, Head, Online Sales, Google India

The Indian auto components and accessories sector, which was hit hard by the recent economic slowdown, is again moving ahead in fifth gear, according to the findings of a survey by the IndiaMART Research Unit (IRU). IndiaMART is an online business-to-business marketplace.

Auto parts units back in fifth gear after the slowdown

Around 20 per cent of the units, with revenues between Rs 1 crore and Rs 10 crore, have shut down due to rising cost of raw materials and other inputs.

Knitwear exporters in Tirupur close shop

According to industry insiders, the upcoming goods and services tax (GST) can spell major benefits for micro, small and medium (MSME) units in Gujarat&rsquo;s pharmaceutical industry, with as much as a 25 per cent increase in business likely.

GST may benefit pharma MSMEs

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