Bangalore : The Confederation of Indian Industry today organized a seminar on ‘IT as a Business Enabler’ followed by and exclusive exhibition ‘IT Buyer – Seller Meet 2013’ on cost effective IT solution & products specifically aimed  at assisting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises adopt IT solutions to remain competitive on a global scale. The event not only highlighted the need for MSME & SME sectors to adopt IT solutions but also offered an ideal forum for them to get a firsthand experience of various cost effective IT solutions on offer.

The MSME sector in India is highly heterogeneous in terms of the size of the enterprises, variety of products and services, and levels of technology. The sector not only plays a critical role in providing employment opportunities at comparatively lower capital cost than large industries but also helps in industrialization of rural and backward areas, reducing regional imbalances and assuring more equitable distribution of national income and wealth. MSMEs complement large industries as ancillary units and contribute enormously to the socioeconomic development of the country. Globalization has posed a major challenge to the sector and it can no longer afford to ignore IT as a Business Enabler.

Speaking on the occasion Mr. B P Shashidhar, President, KASSIA & Managing Director, Karthik Industries said that the topic for this year’s seminar was timely and relevant for the MSME & SME sectors. He said that IT as a business enabler will help SME’s optimize production, better utilize resources and contribute the overall betterment of the economy. Today it is the IT and SME sectors that are the pillars of the Indian economy. The success of the IT sector has earned India global recognition while SME’s have grown in leaps and bounds in recent times. Today there are more than 4.6 lakh SME’s in Karnataka alone producing about 3,000 products, 40% of which is exported to more than 70 countries worldwide. Given this background, a synergy between ITE’s and SME’s seemed logical but there are several road roadblocks that have prevented this from happening i.e. poor awareness, high costs, a lack of infrastructure among others.

Mr. S M Jamkhandi, Director MSME – DI – Bangalore, Ministry of MSME, Govt. of India, speaking on the Initiatives taken up by the government of India said, it is the right time for MSME’s to star adopting IT solutions. He said that the government in its policy has always supported the sector and will continue to do so. India is set to be the third largest economy by 2020 and this is in no small measure due to the contribution by the MSME sector which is currently the second largest employer in the country. He stated that as the rupee strengthens in the International market more and more foreign companies will start exporting to Indian and it is necessary for Indian companies to equip themselves and remain competitive. He said that the government had several schemes to assist the MSME’s including a 10 lakh collateral free loan among other financing schemes, together with National Manufacturing competitiveness program for SME’s however the adoption of IT was crucial not just to remain competitive but to survive in a globalized world.

The Buyers – Sellers Meet 2013 saw over 45 vendor’s showcased products specially designed to cater the MSME & SME sectors. Products on exhibition included HR solutions, E-commerce and advertising, end to end manufacturing solutions, communication technology, imaging technologies, teaching and learning platforms, Biometric and CCTV solutions, cloud technology, software and website development among others.