Organise loan melas to empower MSMEs, Kurnool Collector tells officials

District Collector P. Ranjit Basha addressing the DIEPC meeting in Kurnool on Tuesday.

District Collector P. Ranjit Basha urged officials to arrange loan melas to empower aspiring entrepreneurs. He was addressing a meeting of the District Industrial and Export Promotion Committee (DIEPC) at the collectorate, here on Tuesday

Mr. Basha underscored the need to organise loan melas for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and proposed conducting a publicity campaign to highlight the government subsidies available for startups.

He also stressed the preparation of a Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) to raise awareness among prospective industrialists and establishment of clusters in Western areas to curb migration.

The Collector instructed the Lead District Manager (LDM) to ensure timely resolution of MSME applications by collaborating with bank officials, directed the Industries Department Officer to convene DIEPC meetings monthly to address rejected applications and asked bank managers to be present at these gatherings to facilitate reviews of the  Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Program (PMEGP) and the Stand-Up India scheme.

Provisions for SC/STs

Raja Mahendranath, president of SC/ST Chamber of Commerce, recommended the establishment of a special MSME park for SCs/STs in Kurnool district and sought 100% reimbursement for SC/ST urban entrepreneurs’ development charges.

Mr. Mahendranath further proposed setting up incubation centres and enhancing electricity subsidies for SC/ST entrepreneurs. Members of the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI) proposed the implementation of a State-level procurement policy for SC/ST institutions.

Assistant Trainee Collector Challa Kalyani, Industries Department General Manager Maruti Prasad, APIIC Zonal Manager Somesekhar Reddy, Chamber of Commerce President Vijay Kumar Reddy, and representatives of various banks took part in the meeting.