CII Communique November 2012

egionsalso the availability of finance to meet both fixed andworking capital requirements.Mr Dipak Chakravarty, Chairman CII Assam StateCouncil, and MD, Numaligarh Refinery, described CII’smulti-pronged approach for the development of theMSME sector.Mr. B.P. Muktieh, CMD, North Eastern DevelopmentFinance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) said a cell has beenset up to advise and guide entrepreneurs. NEDFi nowoffers loans at 8% to encourage local entrepreneurs,he added.Roads, Power and Credit are the prerequisites forindustry to grow, said Mr. Rajnish Kumar, Chief GeneralManager, State Bank of India. A dedicated branch forMSMES is one of the many initiatives undertaken bySBI to promote the sector, he said.Mr Rajesh Prasad, Commissioner, Industries, and MD,Assam Industrial Development Corporation, outlinedthe various schemes and initiatives undertaken by theGovernment for the growth of MSMEs.A handbook for entrepreneurs was released on theoccasion. A Bankers-Entrepreneurs Meet witnesseda lively discussion on issues of bank finance. Theconclave also focused on Quality, Productivity andCost Management, which are some of the criticalareas that need to be addressed to make the sectorcompetitive.Day 2 of the conference saw discussions on buildingindustry partnerships where large players could sourcerequirements from smaller players, as also on the rolemicro finance could play in supporting grass rootsentrepreneurs. Senior officials from companies suchas the Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR), NumaligarhRefinery Ltd, Indian Oil Corporation, etc, described theirprocurement policies for the MSME sector. The NFR,for example, procures 20% of its requirement of 6500items ranging from brooms and dusters, to loco sparesand electrical with a total worth of Rs. 1000 crore fromthe MSME sector. Further, to promote the MSME sector,NFR waives the earnest money, and no tender fees arerequired from these units.The Conclave concluded with a fruitful interaction onmicro finance chaired by Mr. K.N. Hazarika, former CMD,NEDFi. The main takeaway was a resolve to developa road map for micro finance in the region by creatinga corpus for a Research and Development and ImpactAnalysis Study, to define the optimal way to take theagenda forward.NorthSeminar on Affirmative Action17 October, Chandigarhfight social injustice towards SC / STs and bring theminto the mainstream.Edu Summit 201213 October, ChandigarhEdu Summit 2012, with the theme of ‘Taking HigherEducation in the Northern Region to the next orbit’brought together academicians, corporates, financers,educational consultants and students to deliberate onhow Higher Education can be made more affordable,job-oriented, accessible, and relevant to industryneeds. “Quality education is the key to inclusiveAwareness session on Affirmative Action Initiatives in theNorthern Region, in ChandigarhAn Awareness Session on Affirmative Action wasorganized for members to share and exchange bestpractices. Mr Hardip Singh Kingra, CMD, NationalScheduled Castes Finance & Development Corporation,appreciated the CII Agenda of Affirmative Action, whichhas also been incorporated in the corporate agenda ofits members, as a potent tool to eradicate inequality,Release of the CII – Wazir Knowledge Paper onHigher Education, in Chandigarh72 | November 2012 Communiqué