Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry organises buyer-seller meet in Pune

The government of India has been undertaking various measures for promoting entrepreneurship among the marginalised community including SCs/STs

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in association with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) with the support of Government of Maharashtra and National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) organised a day-long buyer seller meet for SC/ST Entrepreneurs at MCCIA recently. Similar programmes are being organised in 14 Indian cities.

The government of India has been undertaking various measures for promoting entrepreneurship among the marginalised community including SCs/STs. (PHOTO FOR REPRESENTATION PURPOSE ONLY)

V L Rajale, joint director of industries, Pune, Government of Maharashtra; Ankur Borthakur, head – Pune, National SC-ST Hub Office (NSSHO); Nikhil Patil, business facilitator, Government e-Marketplace (GeM) and Deepak Mukhi, head FICCI- Maharashtra State Council were present at the inaugural session.

The government of India has been undertaking various measures for promoting entrepreneurship among the marginalised community including SCs/STs. The public procurement policy 2012 mandates public sector units and departments to ensure that 25 per cent of their overall annual procurement is done from MSEs including fulfilment of a sub-target for procurement from the MSEs owned by SC/ST entrepreneurs.

Exploring procurement viability

At least 10 public sector undertakings met 70 SC/ ST entrepreneurs who showed keen interest in MSE-focussed schemes. Participating buyers included Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Indian Rare Earths Limited ( IREL), Bharat Electronics, Shopclues, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Food Corporation of India, BEL Optronics, Bharat Gas and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (ECGC). At least 15 entrepreneurs have registered on the spot in Pune on the GeM portal and 10 on the NSIC respectively. Senior representatives of The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) as well as members of Buddhist Entrepreneurs Association of Commerce and Industry (BEACI) and FICCI’s MoU partner, Centre for the Study of Caste and Capitalism (CSCC), also participated in this endeavour. In his address V L Rajale , joint director of Industries informed about various incentive schemes and subsidies under the policy.

Deepak Mukhi in his welcome address said FICCI has been working closely with the Ministry of MSME towards effective implementation of this policy and reaching out to the relevant stakeholders. The Buyer Seller Meet is aimed at addressing the demand supply gaps and enable a direct market access both for the SC/ST entrepreneurs and the PSUs.