Centre to fund engg clusters under ‘technology mission’

The Centre is preparing a ‘technology mission’ for small and medium engineering units to enhance their competitiveness in the international market.

Ravi Capoor, Joint Secretary in Union Ministry of Commerce, told Business Line here on Tuesday that 10 clusters of small and medium engineering units in the country would get funding support for new technology and design acquisition through collaboration with laboratories.

“The mission document should be ready in the two months,” Capoor said.

The broad outline of the initiative suggested that each of these selected clusters would identify one or two products for which the cluster would be helped become a global technology leader and not a follower, he added.

While the Centre’s specific schemes would be ready to fund the technology improvement, the National Research and Development Corporation would tag relevant research and development efforts of the national laboratories and research organisations to the cluster’s aim.

“Coimbatore cluster of engineering units would be the first among the 10 identified for funding. This cluster will aim to be the technology leader in pumps in collaboration with 15 scientific research institutions,” Capoor said.

The Howrah-Kolkata cluster of foundries is now prodded to identify at least one product. There are some 5,000 units in the eastern foundry cluster, the majority of whom produce low-value iron casting products. They have lost their competitiveness in the international market to China, he added.