Published on September 26, 2020
New Delhi: To sensitize and encourage MSMEs towards technology adoption approach for higher productivity in their production & business process with a view to improve their competitiveness in national & international market, ASSOCHAM has organized a national webinar on “MSMEs – Adopting Technology for Productivity” as one of the important verticals of SMARTECH India2020 – India’s 1st and largest week long exhibition on Smart Technologies starting from today.
The Chief Guest of the conference was Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Hon’ble Minister of State Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India. The other prominent panelists including Shri Vinay Prabhakar, Partner, Deloitte India, Dr. Lovneesh Chanana, Vice President – Digital Government, SAP India Pvt. Ltd and many more from government department, corporate world and industries.
Addressing the conference Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Hon’ble Minister of State Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India elaborating on the role and need of technology especially in these pandemic times, called for its adoption keeping sustainability in mind, “All sectors have been adversely impacted by COVID including MSMEs which employ a lot of people. Technology gives us the opportunity to bring our life back on the tracks and is a boon is many ways if used correctly. We now need eco-friendly tech focusing on sustainable, balanced and harmonious growth. The benefits of technology are many including that it leads to more productivity and saves a lot of time. Technology can be applied in remote areas; rural artisans etc can have access to global markets through it. Today classes are being held by use of tech even in remote areas. This is the boon of technology, it is great connector”.
MSMEs have gained increased attention in India in recent times, considering their strategic importance to the economy and the country. In spite of their contributions, MSMEs in India face several challenges. They often need to keep pace with rapidly changing technologies, face the risk of becoming technologically obsolete, face high costs of credit and are usually unable to identify their key competitive strengths to maintain products strength and quality. Given these challenges, it is critical to build upon the tech efficient MSMEs to ensure that they make optimal use of the technology-enabled platforms. With their inherent capabilities to grow, digital ecosystem could be a suitable solution to help truly realize the potential of this sector.
Mr Vinay Prabhakar, Partner, Deloitte India said,“The more we support MSME’s the better impact it has on the growth of economy. There can’t be a better time than today to talk about the role of technology in the growth of MSME. A one to many digital platform that can help MSME’s scale better, faster and cheaper will be the key to success”.
The MSME sector is crucial to India’s economy. There are 63.8 Million MSME Enterprises in various industries, employing close to 111 Million people, of these around 14 percent are women led – enterprises, and close to 59.5 percent are based in rural areas. In all the MSME sector accounts for 31 percent of India’s GDP & 48 percent of exports.
I could suggest ‘MSMEs in particular in manufacturing segment stand to benefit significantly from comprehensive approach to improve productivity covering digital and operational technology, manufacturing systems and skills – this is the promise of Advanced Digital Production or Industry 4.0, said Dr. René Van Berkel, UNIDO Representative UNIDO Regional Office – India.
Dr. Lovneesh Chanana, Vice President (Digital Government), Asia Pacific and Japan, SAP said, Technology has moved from just an enabler of productivity to being a key differentiator for SMEs. Industry-Government collaboration can address the requirements of increased awareness of SMEs about digital solutions, creation of a talent pool, and access to affordable technology solutions. The recent developments in digital technologies offer dual opportunities for SMEs both as users and creators of solutions.