EXPO2020 to Open New Window of Opportunities for Indian MSME Sector: MSME Minister Narayan Rane

India’s Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Shri Narayan Rane, recently stated that the MSME sector is the backbone of the Indian economy, and that our participation in EXPO2020 Dubai will open a new window of business opportunities and collaborations for the Indian MSME sector. He was speaking virtually during the opening ceremony of the MSME sector floor at EXPO2020’s India Pavilion.

Shri Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Minister of State for MSME; Shri B B Swain, Secretary, MSME; Shri Sunjay Sudhir, Ambassador of India to the UAE; Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena, Chairman, KVIC; Shri D Kuppuramu, Chairman, Coir Board; Tadu Mamu, Consul (Press, Information, Culture & Labour); Consulate General of India in Dubai; and Arun Chawla, Director General, FICCI, along with other senior officials from the MSME ministry and others, also attended the inaugural ceremony.

“The MSME sector plays a significant role in terms of job creation and expanding manufacturing base,” Shri Rane said in his keynote address. “Today, it has more than 6 crore units employing over 11 crore people and is a significant contributor to India’s economic growth, with over 30 percent of contribution to the GDP and over 48 percent of overall exports from India.”

He further added, “The Ministry’s focus is to create a benchmark for MSMEs across the country by scaling them to new heights in terms of exports, quality of products, contribution to GDP and providing world-class infrastructure and state-of-the-art technology to all MSMEs operating in India.”

The minister also unveiled the Khadi India film, which was created by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) of the Ministry of MSME.

In his address, Shri Verma asserted, “The Ministry of MSME has been undertaking various important initiatives to boost the MSME sector and has been actively engaged in spearheading initiatives like finance facilitation, capacity building and skill training, facilitating market linkages, technology upgradation, etc. for the overall inclusive development of MSMEs across the country.”

Against this backdrop, Shri Sudhir commented, “MSME’s contribution to the socio-economic development of India has been immense, and EXPO2020 is an excellent opportunity for the Indian MSME sector to reach out to potential partners and explore further opportunities not only to the UAE but also to the world.” To this, Swain added, “EXPO 2020 Dubai will act as an information catalyst and promote higher cooperation between micro, small, and medium business owners from India and across the globe.”

Mercy Epao, Joint Secretary-SME, Ministry of MSME, delivered the welcome note and the vote of thanks.

The participation of the Ministry of MSME in EXPO2020 would aid in the development of understanding about the MSME ecosystem in India, as well as interaction with Governments from other countries, business and industry leaders, and the exchange of best practices used around the world.

Image Source: India Expo 2020