Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Discusses Expansion and Strengthening of MSMEs

13-05-2023 : Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, revealed that the state is creating a better ecosystem for small business owners at a meeting with B.B. Swain, the Secretary of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of the Indian government, on Saturday. The growth and improvement of MSMEs in the state were the main topics of conversation. The state government is working to attract investment in a number of industries, such as tourism, green hydrogen, green technology, and electric automobiles. The central cluster development programme, according to the chief minister, calls for the establishment of clusters for a number of industries, including those based on cane and bamboo, traditional footwear, tea, weaving, and food processing. Clusters have already been approved in Tahliwal, Parwanoo, Jitpur Baheri, Khadin, and Gondpur, while proposals for two more clusters in Baddi and Haroli have been sent.

The Industries Department has been directed to send proposals for the development of infrastructure in these clusters to the Centre within ten days. Additionally, the chief minister instructed officials to prepare a proposal under the Strategic Investment Policy (SIP) to be submitted to the central government by July 2023, which is expected to attract an estimated investment of Rs 150-200 crore in the MSME sector. During the meeting, the Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman Yojana was also discussed, and the chief minister urged for an increase in the assistance amount for artisans from Rs 75,000 to a minimum amount of Rs 2 lakh and an increase in the amount for tools from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 under this scheme.