The Hon’ble Minister Deputy Chief Minister spoke at the inaugural function of Uttar Pradesh MSME Sammelan 2022, which has been organized by ASSOCHAM

  While speaking at the inaugural function of Uttar Pradesh MSME Sammelan 2022 today, the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Brajesh Pathak said that the State Government is working and taking necessary steps to attract investment and boost employment opportunities in the state, especially in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector. Their emphasis is on ease of doing business along with maintaining good law and order.

The two-day conference has been organized by the country’s leading industry body, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) in association with the Ministry of MSME, Government of India. The conference, which aims to develop cottage and small-scale industries and improve their competitiveness, is being organized at a time when the country is celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence.

Shri Pathak lauded ASSOCHAM for organizing this conference, which entrepreneurs from within the country and around the world, in Lucknow – the capital of Uttar Pradesh (UP). He assured all possible help to the industry body in its efforts to increase investment in the state.

He said that his government first focused on improving law and order to create a better environment for investors in the state. Entrepreneurs used to shy away from investing in UP but have started investing in the state after the situation improved. Apart from having skilled manpower available, there is also a huge market.

The Deputy Chief Minister added that his government has introduced a single-window system for the convenience of entrepreneurs so that all types of approvals can be given to them at one place. For speedy settlement of commercial disputes, the UP government has opened 13 new commercial courts in the last five years.

He said that the MSME sector contributes close to 50 percent of the country’s export sector. At the same time, this sector accounts for about 30 percent of the country’s GDP. In such a situation, the role of MSMEs becomes crucial in making India a stronger position in global trade.

On this occasion, Shri Pathak launched the ‘Dettol Diarrhea Net Zero’ campaign by pushing to make the state free from diseases like diarrhea and pneumonia among others.

Smt Sushma Paul Berlia, Chairperson of ASSOCHAM National Council on Business Facilitation and Global Competitiveness and Chairman of Apeejay Stya Group, in her welcome address at the program, said that MSME sector can help a lot towards making the country self-reliant as around 11 crore people are employed in 6.33 crore MSMEs of the country.”

She added that after the COVID epidemic, bottlenecks in the supply side around the world have led to the rise of inflation. This situation provides better opportunities for MSMEs, where it can contribute to augment supply in the sector, both domestically and internationally.

Mr Ravi Bhatnagar, Co-Chairperson, ASSOCHAM CSR Council & Director External Affairs & Partnerships, South Asia, Reckitt, emphasized on increasing investments in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) sector in Uttar Pradesh. He said that participation in every field is the need of the hour today. Investment can be increased with equal participation from all, which will lead to an increase in employment opportunities.

Referring to Reckitt’s flagship program ‘Dettol Banega Swasth India’ at the inaugural event, Mr Bhatnagar said that Reckitt, through this programme, has been a partner in the development journey of the state in the field of cleanliness, health and hygiene for the last seven years. By taking this program forward, an initiative has been launched to eliminate diseases like diarrhea and pneumonia completely during the next three years in the state.

Other eminent speakers who also spoke during the conference were Mr. Kamlesh Gandhi Co-Chairman, ASSOCHAM MSME Development Council and CMD, MAS Financial; Mr. Rahul Shukla Group Head – Commercial and Rural Banking, HDFC Bank Limited; Shri René Van Berkel UNIDO Representative and Head of Regional Office in India; Mr. Avinash Gupta ASSOCHAM MSME Development Council and Managing Director & CEO – India DNB; Ms Praveena Rai, COO, NCPI.