The Hindu Business Line : TN policy for micro, SME sectors on the anvil

Tiruchi, July 17 The Tamil Nadu Government will soon come out with a policy on micro, small and medium enterprises. It would be the first State in the country to make a separate policy for the sector.

The draft policy is under Cabinet discussion and will be announced within a month or two, Mr M. Raman, Commissioner, Industries and Commerce, said.

Strengthening that infrastructure, increasing industrial space, improving credit flow, skill upgradation and cluster development are some of the focus areas, Mr Raman told presspersons on the sidelines of a seminar on ‘Innovations to Become Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) of the Future’, hosted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) here.

Mr Raman also said that the District Industries Centres would soon be re-engineered to turn them into knowledge centres to facilitate industrial growth.

Plans to strengthen the infrastructure at industrial estates would be implemented during the XI Plan period.

Mr Raman said at the seminar that the Government was committed to increasing industrial space and was willing to fund up to 50 per cent of the internal development costs.

It was keen on promoting industrial clusters and several clusters have been identified for extending support.

Critical for growth

Mr M. Rafeeque Ahmed, Chairman, Tamil Nadu State Council, FICCI, said the State was home to nearly 12 per cent of the country’s 3.3 million SMEs and their economic viability was critical to its dynamic growth.

Several small-scale units could graduate into efficient medium-sized enterprises.

They should be accorded protection until they are able to face global competition. Measures for SME development should be integrated with industrial and economic policies and credit access should be facilitated, he said.

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