The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises organized a National SC-ST Hub Conclave at Ahmedabad, Gujarat on 28^th September 2022 to spread awareness about the National SC-ST Hub (NSSH) Scheme and other Schemes of the Ministry.   The Conclave was attended by Member of Parliament & Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Dr. Kirit Premjibhai Solanki as  Chief Guest and other senior dignitaries. More than 300 SC-ST entrepreneurs participated in the event. Shri Gaurang Dixit, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, National Small Industries Corporation Limited (NSIC) welcomed all the dignitaries and participants followed by keynote address by Ms. Mercy Epao, Joint Secretary, Ministry of MSME. The conclave provided a platform for aspiring and existing SC-ST entrepreneurs to interact with CPSEs, lending institutions, GeM, RSETI, TRIFED etc.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Solanki said  more SC-ST entrepreneurs from Gujarat State should take benefits available under NSSH Scheme. He also urged the bankers present in the audience to prioritize credit support to the SC-ST entrepreneurs so that they may not face any difficulty in augmenting their business capacities. He stressed upon Prime Minister’s vision of becoming job providers instead of job seekers and emphasized the participation of SC-ST entrepreneurs in strengthening the Indian Economy.

The program witnessed participation of CPSEs like National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd., Food Corporation of India, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Indian Oil Corporation Limited, which gave presentations on their vendor empanelment process and list of products/services to be procured. The conclave was also attended by financial institutions such as State Bank of India and Yes Bank.  They provided details regarding various lending schemes pertaining to MSME sector. Other Government organizations which participated in the program and presented their various schemes to assist MSMEs were GeM, KVIC, RSETI, District Industry Centre, MSME-DFO, Ahmedabad, etc.  The conclave had facilitation desks for UDYAM Registration and GeM registrations to help SC-ST MSE participants.

For inclusive growth of the Indian economy, Ministry of MSME has launched National Scheduled Caste Scheduled Tribe Hub (NSSH) scheme. It is aimed at capacity enhancement and promoting entrepreneurship culture amongst the SC-ST population for enhancing their participation in the public procurement.

Given the importance of MSMEs in our economy, it is imperative that focused efforts are made to promote entrepreneurship amongst the youth and create a conducive environment where they can play an integral role in development of Indian economy to realize the vision of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat .

Nurturing the MSME sector is important for the economic well-being of the Nation. Government is consistently working to empower MSMEs for sustainable growth and to make them compatible in the global value chain. The state level conclaves assist SC-ST MSMEs to expand their horizons by incorporating new ideas as they become aware about the various schemes of Government of India.

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MJPS