Centre, Nagaland Hold High-Level Meet To Boost MSME Growth Through Convergence

The meeting was chaired by V. Shashank Shekhar, Additional Chief Secretary and Agriculture Production Commissioner, who emphasised the need for convergence and collective efforts between the Centre and the State to maximise benefits for citizens. He said the objective of the meeting was to bring all concerned departments onto a common platform to enhance synergy for effective implementation of developmental programmes. Focus on Convergence and Coordination S. C. L. Das, Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, highlighted the importance of stronger coordination and collaboration across departments to accelerate MSME growth in Nagaland. He clarified that the meeting was intended as a platform for dialogue and partnership rather than a review exercise, aimed at aligning central support with the State’s development priorities. Das noted that MSMEs are not confined to a single sector but span across industries such as textiles, food processing, steel, and electronics, contributing significantly to the broader economy. He stressed the need to break departmental silos, pointing out that multiple ministries and departments run schemes benefiting MSMEs. Greater convergence, he said, is essential to ensure that these benefits reach intended stakeholders effectively. Schemes and Strategic Focus Areas Highlighted Mercy Epao, Joint Secretary in the MSME Ministry, presented an overview of the Ministry’s vision to promote sustainable and globally competitive MSMEs as key drivers of economic growth. She outlined key focus areas including formalisation, improved access to finance, technology adoption, digitisation, infrastructure development, and industry-oriented skilling. Epao also detailed major schemes such as PM Vishwakarma, the Credit Guarantee Scheme, Self Reliant India (SRI) Fund, Micro and Small Enterprises Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP), Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), National SC-ST Hub Scheme, International Cooperation Scheme, and Assistance to Training Institutions. Focus on Women Entrepreneurship and Inclusive Growth Highlighting women entrepreneurship, she referred to the Yashasvini initiative, which aims to empower women-led enterprises and enhance their participation in public procurement, while promoting gender parity and enterprise formalisation. She added that the initiative seeks to boost the contribution of women-led MSMEs to GDP, exports, and employment generation. Roadmap Under Viksit Bharat 2047 The meeting also discussed the broader roadmap under the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, focusing on building a modern, competitive MSME sector through increased participation in exports and services, adoption of sustainable technologies, expansion of digitalisation, and strengthening of rural industries such as Khadi and Coir. Officials emphasised the importance of empowering artisans and traditional enterprises to ensure inclusive growth across sectors. State Inputs and Way Forward Various State departments presented updates on ongoing initiatives, while highlighting challenges related to marketing, exports, and scaling up production. In his concluding remarks, Das assured that the issues raised would be addressed and stressed the importance of regular follow-up meetings to sustain momentum. He added that actionable decisions would be implemented promptly, while identified bottlenecks would be resolved through coordinated efforts. (KNN Bureau)