The Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Kalraj Mishra has expressed the resolve of the new government to give impetus to the sector by providing a coordinated approach encompassing all the organizations of the ministry. Inaugurating a two-day Workshop on Creating New Opportunities for MSMEs through Virtual Cluster in New Delhi today he highlighted the virtues of economic enterprises in removing the social evils. The minister said that innovative measures for solving the problems being faced by MSMEs like Finance and Marketing through a single-window time-bound clearance process will be adopted. He exhorted all stakeholders to work with a sense of zeal and mission for achieving the twin-goals of self-reliance and independence representing the basics of entrepreneurship.
The workshop is being organized by The National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) at its NOIDA Campus on 6th and 7th June, 2014. Virtual Cluster is a dedicated web-based portal, is an initiative of the MSME Ministry launched on March 01, 2014. It enables the small businesses located anywhere in the country to register instantly and to avail prompt linkages with each other. This Web Platform facilitates the stakeholders to leverage the expertise of each other for their mutual growth and benefit. The Workshop is being organized with the objective of inter-alia reviewing the progress in implementing Virtual Cluster so far and carving out a roadmap for future. It is being attended by over 100 representatives of Industry/MSMEs and those of educational/ research/technical institutions; chambers of commerce and industry; NGOs; academia; professionals etc. besides government officials from different ministries/departments. Shri Madhav Lal, Secretary (MSME) in his key-note address on the occasion exhorted the delegates to come out with a set of implementable suggestions and recommendations to take the concept further to make it a reality for all the stakeholders. Shri Arun Kumar Jha, Director General of NIESBUD in his welcome speech outlined the rationale of launching Virtual Cluster and the progress made in its implementation during the initial three months of its launch.