The Hindu Business Line : Ni-msme to focus on cluster development

National institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (Ni-msme), formerly Nisiet, is set to focus on cluster development services and help entrepreneurs in the unorganised sector transition to organised sector.

A body under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Ni-msme, has chosen clusters in four southern States and Madhya Pradesh to offer them consultancy and support and build additional competencies to make them globally competitive, according to Dr Chukka Kondaiah, Principal-Director of Ni-msme.

Addressing a press conference here, Dr Kondiah said that the organisation has become financially self-sustaining without any recourse to the Government funds by offering a range of consultancy and skill upgradation services not just within India but to representatives from some of the African and Far Eastern countries.

After the launch of National Resource Centre for Cluster Development (NRCD) in 2003, the institute has been contributing to the promotion of clusters, guiding them in skill upgradation, helping them carve out new markets and also assist them in securing necessary funding.

Referring to the fan making cluster near Hyderabad, wet grinder manufacturing cluster of Coimbatore, leather cluster in Agra, textile and saree clusters in Barabanki, he said “we have undertaken diagnostic studies to make them globally competitive.”

IPR CENTRE

The institute has established a centre for excellence for intellectual property rights (IPR) regime and is now helping entrepreneurs build competencies to make them competitive globally. With the Centre creating a Rs 50-crore fund for the IPR related issues, the institution is developing necessary infrastructure to assist entrepreneurs to gain from this initiative.

With the Prime Minister and the Eleventh Plan emphasising on skill development and upgradation of technologies, Ni-msme has assumed the role of a skill development agency for backward classes and minorities. It has tied up with several independent agencies to help in the whole skill upgradation process, Dr Kondiah said.

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