Gangtok, March 13 (IPR): A day long seminar-cum-awareness programme on the PM Vishwakarma scheme was conducted at Chintan Bhawan, today.
Organised by the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development & Facilitation Office, Ministry of MSME, Government of India, the programme had the presence of Ms Tshering Palden, Deputy Mayor as the chief guest along with Mr Sundeep Malu, Executive Councillor (MG Marg), Ms Dikee Lepcha, Councillor (Tibet Road, Kazi Road), Mr RB Bhandari Commissioner, GMC, Mr Milan Rai ADC, HQ, Mrs Radha Pradhan, ADC (Development), RDD, members of panchayats, BDOs, MEO Singtam, Mrs Nisha Rani, Assistant Director, MSME, Development Facilitation Office, Bankers, officials of MSME and entrepreneurs from all the districts.
Mrs Tshering Palden, Deputy Mayor said that by leveraging the PM Vishwakarma Yojana and MSME Scheme, entrepreneurs can unlock unprecedented opportunities for growth and make significant contributions to the society. She stated that the schemes play a crucial role in empowering entrepreneurs by providing them with the financial tools and resources needed to succeed in their ventures and contribute to economic growth and development. She urged the participants to take advantage of the schemes that are designed to foster the growth of their livelihoods.
Mr Nirmal Chowdhury, Assistant Director MSME, Development Facilitation Office(DFO) spoke about the PM Vishakarma scheme and on the various important central sector schemes for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. He briefed about the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) which aims to generate employment opportunities in rural as well as urban areas of the country by setting up new self-employment ventures/projects/micro enterprises. He highlighted about credit guarantee fund trust for micro and small enterprises (CGTMSE) that encourages manufacturing and service enterprises to increase productivity and provide incentives to MSMEs for onboarding on the GST platform which helps in formalization of the economy while reducing the cost of credit. The corpus of the CGTMSE is contributed by the Government of India and SIDBI, he added. He also mentioned that the Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Programme(ESDP) is to motivate young persons representing different sections of society including SC / ST/ Women, physically challenged, ex-servicemen and BPL persons to consider self-employment or entrepreneurship as one of the career options. ESDP programmes are implemented through MSME-Development Institutes/Testing Centres/State Governments/Agencies/Organisations, he informed.
Likewise, he further informed about building awareness of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). He said that the nature of assistance and strategy in this regard involves reimbursement for Patent/GI/Registration/Trademarks, setting up of IP Facilitation Centers, interactive Seminars/Workshops/Exhibitions and awareness programmes.
Additionally, he also gave a brief description of the procurement and marketing support(PMS) scheme that has been revamped to enhance the marketability of products and services in the MSME sector to promote new market access initiatives.
Mr Amitabh Nandi, CSC Head spoke on the PM Vishwakarma Yojana that aims at improving the quality as well as the reach of products and services of artisans and craftspeople integrating with the domestic and global value chains. He informed that there are 1200 applicants that have been registered from the Gangtok, Gyalshing and Soreng districts.
Mr Milan Rai, ADC, Gangtok, emphasized the incredible opportunities through the PM Vishwakarma Yojana and MSME Scheme. He said that these initiatives are not just government programmes they are pathways to realising entrepreneurial dreams. He stated that the PM Vishwakarma Scheme offers a plethora of resources, from technical assistance to financial support, empowering the entrepreneur to turn innovative ideas into tangible products and services.
He further expressed that schemes provide a supportive ecosystem tailored to the needs, with incentives ranging from tax benefits to access to finance, enabling the youth to navigate the challenges of starting and growing their business. He urged the participants to seize the opportunities and embark on their entrepreneurial journey with confidence.
Lastly, he urged the ULBs, RLBs, and District-level officers to furnish the entrepreneurs with complete and detailed information.
Mr RB Bhandari, Commissioner, GMC requested the participants to take the workshop seriously and encouraged them to enrol themselves in the schemes. He said that it is essential to stay informed about the latest developments and updates regarding the schemes through official government websites, announcements, or authorized channels to ensure a smooth enrollment process.
Later, a PowerPoint presentation on how to register online was demonstrated to the participants present at the one-day seminar cum awareness programme on the PM Vishwakarma scheme.