Nadda presides over launch of MSME programme

Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, November 2

Union Minister for Health JP Nadda presided over an event organised here on Friday to mark  the launch of the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) support programme by the Central Government. 

Banks organised kiosks to educate MSMEs on availing loans from various financial institutions.

However, banks officials raised their concern over the implementation of the programme. They expressed apprehension regarding the accessibility of the programme to the real beneficiaries. 

Charanjit Singh, GM of the recovery wing of the Oriental Bank of Commerce, said he had organised more than 100 camps across the country and realised that people did not have proper awareness about government schemes. 

Satyapal Singh Kalsi, zonal head of UCO Bank, said now schemes could be accessed online, but people living in villages did not have much knowledge of Internet and online operations.

Meanwhile, people attending this event were not happy with the timing. The official timing for the arrival of the Union minister was 2 pm, but he arrived after 3.30 pm. The participants also included students from government technical institutes who were made to sit for more than six hours waiting for the minister.

MSME sector backbone of industrialisation: MP

Una: Lok Sabha MP Anurag Thakur, while presiding over a programme for the launch of the Support and Outreach Initiative for MSMEs, said a web portal had been launched, which could be accessed by entrepreneurs wanting to set up micro, small or medium industries and could avail financial assistance up to Rs 1 crore in less than an hour.

Thakur said the formalities for obtaining a bank loan had been simplified for entrepreneurs since the MSME sector was the backbone of industrialisation in the country. OC