Tamil Nadu Assembly Election 2021 | MSME Sector Flags Infra Issues

If there is any sector that has been suffering continuously due to both the state and the Center, it is the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, entrepreneurs and companies say about those issues when they expect the Assembly to settle Let’s do elections in Tamil Nadu.

As per the data given in the recently launched MSME policy, there are around 23.60 lakh registered enterprises in the state, providing employment opportunities to around 151.61 lakh people with an investment of 2,73,241 crore in total.

“Since 2015 [Chennai] The flooding has not worked well for the region. [Machinery were marooned then.] Not getting proper financial support from the government, among others, increasing deficits and debts. GST was also a concern – but it has nothing to do with the state government, ”said a veteran industrialist wishing for anonymity.

He also said that the MSME sector of the state was flourishing in the 1980s and 1990s and some of the oldest industrial estates in the country were born in Chennai and Tamil Nadu. “But today real estate developers have come to many industrial estates and are building apartments and other offices. He said that the government is letting this happen instead of developing industrial wealth.

Bad roads

Representatives of most of the industrial estates spread across the state said that infrastructure is something that was never taken into consideration and should be the top priority of the government. When IT parks and SEZs can have fancy roads, why not roads leading to MSMEs, which are the backbone of many industries, he asked.

Convenor of Consortium of Indian Associations, KE Raghunathan said that any support or solution can be increased only if we have the correct figures. “We failed miserably to produce valid data on the number of existing MSMEs and the employment of both formal and informal workers,” he said.

“Furthermore, the state government should regulate or control or support micro and small enterprises from the huge increase in the price of raw materials in the last six months and protect the interests of exporters using the RoDTEP scheme, which for this year Rates have to be built. ” . Raghunathan said.

Power cut

Tirumajai Industrial Estate Secretary RG Chakrapani said that although the government claimed to have a power surplus state, power cuts and power quality were poor. He said there was no alternative, there was no proper road, no effective storm drainage and adequate sewage treatment plants. Most MSME units in Coimbatore, Tiruchi and Madurai resonated with the same idea. Many also said that although long claims were being made on skills and training, it did not really help in this area. There is still a huge shortage of labor, which the government needs to look into seriously, he said.

Coimbatore District Small Industries Association president MV Ramesh Babu said that although the government supports the skill development initiative, identifying candidates is a challenge. “The government should help get candidates for training,” he said.

An owner of SMEs in Coimbatore said, “We support the state government for infrastructure, investment, electricity etc. ‘Industries primarily look for a conducive environment for conducting business. However, he felt, most of the requirements have been taken care of by the present state government. If the plan approval and the land conversion process are simplified, then the MSMEs will be made easier to operate, he said.

Deferred payment

Mr. Babu said that another area of ​​concern is to get payment quickly from government departments and public sector undertakings. Labor shortages are an issue for MSMEs. He said that payment of orders given to PSUs or government departments should be released to MSMEs within a month or 45 days.

Smaller units in the sector said that banks never considered with them and most of the schemes announced by the Center did not reach them – the state government should ensure that there is some solution on this front. Many units also said that they would look at the manifestos of the parties and see if there was anything that was being mentioned for MSMEs. He said, “We don’t want to take anything this time.”