Beginning this April, Government departments and public sector undertakings have been mandated to procure 20 per cent of their requirements from the micro and small-scale industry, according to Mr V. Arumugam, General Manager, National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), Chennai.
He was addressing an awareness meeting on the “Role of NSIC”, organised by the Madurai District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association (Maditssia) in the city recently.
It has been estimated that the annual purchase of Government departments and public sector undertakings is worth around Rs 35,000 crore and these institutions have to publicise in their Web sites the items required by them so that the micro and small industry sector could benefit.
The corporation which maintains a list of those units registered with it, participates in the tender process on behalf of the units.
Those who fail to procure in the prescribed manner need to explain in writing the reasons. These would be scrutinised by a high-powered committee of the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
The corporation assists those units that have secured the orders by extending an advance of 70 per cent of the value of the order to facilitate the execution of the order by them, he said.
NSIC has been engaged in holding awareness meetings and buyer-seller meets across the State for the purpose.
Mr V.S. Manimaran, President, Maditssia, presided. More than 100 industrialists from the micro and small-scale sector participated.