BHUBANESWAR: With focus on facilitating micro, small and medium enterprises, the Odisha government has decided to conduct a Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSME) census to ensure proper policy planning for revitalise the ailing sector. The sector has been the worst casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic .
As envisaged, the census would help identify sick units and challenges the rest of the units have been facing in terms of registration, credit linkage, statutory clearances, taxation, raw material and marketing of finished products.
A three-year ‘District Plan’ is also in the making in consultation with collectors and various stakeholders. This is expected to help set up 25,000 micro enterprises under Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) in the next three years.
Principal Secretary of MSME department, Satyabrata Sahu said “The entrepreneurs have demonstrated their capability to sustain the economy even during a pandemic. As part of the 5T initiative, the census and district plans will help formulate new long-term policies on sustainable development of the sector.”
The State government has also planned to convert women SHGs to potential micro entrepreneurs with focus on packaging sector. Startups engaged with innovation in packaging will be roped in. “The schemes implemented by the Centre will be leveraged to ensure maximum benefit for the MSMEs of the State. As Odisha has nurtured a large number of women SHGs, our focus will be to develop them into entrepreneurs and strengthen the rural economy,” said Sahu.
As more than 4,000 units with project cost of Rs 456 crore were sanctioned under PMEGP in 2020-21, Odisha has been adjudged the leading State in the eastern region and second in the country in terms of sanctioning number of projects. It also achieved its highest ever credit flow of Rs 38,000 crore under the annual credit plan.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had recently announced a special package of Rs 289 crore to help MSMEs. Besides, around 7,500 tribals, mostly women SHG members will be assisted with a project cost of Rs 20 crore in Sundargarh and Keonjhar by leveraging funds from District Mineral Fund (DMF).