Spread the love
Guwahati: The National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), a central body, has been continuously working for the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises in the country.
The Zonal General Manager North East (ZGM-NE), Vijay Prakash, told Business Northeast that from pickle to drone, all businesses are supported by NSIC. The organisation operates through a countrywide network of offices and technical centres. Excerpts from the interview:
BNE: What are some of the primary industries and sectors that NSIC is focusing on in the northeast region?
ZGM: The National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) is a corporation under the Ministry of MSME… We can work on (any sector), from pickles to drones, any technology, product and service. It is not sector-specific.
BNE: How does NSIC help small businesses in the North East access credit and finance, particularly in remote and rural areas?
ZGM: If any unit has UDYAM registration or NSIC registration by which it can be proved that it is a small company whether it’s making pickles, drones or whether it is providing any service, NSIC will support everyone.
For instance, there is NSIC registration, if you opt for government business NSIC registration, you can get access to it without EMP and without tender. Secondly, if there are persons in rural areas who are producing some chadar, mekhala chadar or some handloom and handicrafts, then we keep sending those people to various exhibitions in India and abroad based on their company and social categories.
NSIC under SC-ST hub sends tribals and scheduled castes people free of cost to various events and exhibitions like India International Trade Fair and the Indian Handicrafts Fair. We have sent them overseas also like Bangkok where there was a northeast festival. We keep supporting these rural entrepreneurs and micro-entrepreneurs.
BNE: Can you share any success stories of small businesses in the northeast region that have benefited from NSIC’s services and support?
ZGM: There were more than 300 entrepreneurs who were trained by NSIC. They were there just in front of our office. So, we keep producing success stories. They (trainees in different batches) can tell you that after the training or in between the training they have started their businesses.
BNE: What are some of the common challenges that small businesses in the North East face and how does NSIC address these challenges?
ZGM: Earlier, everything was a challenge. Now, registration is free. It is online. If somebody is sitting in far-flung areas like may be in Haflong or maybe somewhere in Dibrugarh, they might not have access to the office physically but they can access their mobile phones. For instance, through UDYAM registration, they can register their companies.
We also did a fancy candle-making training in Arunachal Pradesh. Nobody has ever done the training there. We have also done this training in Mizoram, then in Shillong and Cherrapunjee, Imphal and Churachandpur in Manipur.
BNE: How does NSIC support women entrepreneurs and promote gender equality in small businesses in the North East?
ZGM: See, if you ask me about gender equality, then I can say that the North East is far better than any areas of entire India. More than 95% of our trainees are females. North East is having women entrepreneurship far more than the rest of India.
BNE: There are many people who have no access to digital medium. How will they have access to your services?
ZGM: It is very easy. One, it is user-friendly. Second, if somebody has any problem, then they can go to Google and search for our numbers. They can easily reach here. They can directly call me at 9810115567.
BNE: How does NSIC collaborate with other government agencies, industry associations and private organisations to support small businesses in the North East?
ZGM: We are working in tandem with the state governments since we are a central government department. Like with the Department of Commerce and Industry under Government of Assam we are doing some training programme, we have done some conclave. We have done some outdoor training also (out of Guwahati) and are doing it in other north eastern states. Every year Hornbill Festival happens in Nagaland. Last year, we supported 60 units. This year, we supported around 100 units. This way we are working hand to hand with the state government and try to help entrepreneurs belonging to that place or from the entire North East.
BNE: What are the eligibility criteria for small businesses in the northeast region to avail of NSIC’s services and support?
ZGM: If a person is having a turnover of Rs 5 crore or plant and machinery of Rs 1 crore, less than that is called a micro-unit. There is no minimum limit. If somebody is doing a transaction of a thousand rupees also per month, then that company is a micro-unit for us. We can support them. They should have UDYAM registration or NSIC registration then we can support them. These are the two documents that can prove that they are MSME. There is no further eligibility. It is not that we can support a company that has more than Rs 1-crore business. We have to support micro industries that can be as small as earning Rs 1,000 per day and month.
BNE: How are you creating awareness about your services?
ZGM: NSIC keeps doing all these activities not only in the North East but across India through various sources. That we are having a portal (NSIC website) that we are having MSMEMART.com which is a portal for B2B transactions. We are having an NSIC television and Youtube channel also. We have NSIC Twitter. If they can subscribe then they can directly have access and thus gather information.
Secondly, we keep visiting physically. We will have one programme which is another vertical in Dimapur. Earlier we did programmes in Dimapur, Churachandpur, Aizawl and Guwahati. Recently, we did programmes in Arunachal Pradesh. I keep giving my contact number so that people come and they don’t feel shy about it. They can talk to us, they can get all the information that we share with them.
You must have heard that honourable Prime Minister Sir has spoken about Rs 10,000 crore fund. That fund is being run by NVCFL, which is an NSIC-owned company. So, these new initiatives are there for the Government of India the responsibility for which is taken by NSIC. If somebody is doing business and they want Rs 5 crore, Rs 1 crore, Rs 10 crore against the expansion plan of their companies, if they want capital investment to grow their company then NVCFL comes into the picture. For that, an awareness programme is going to happen on May 4 in Dimapur. These initiatives are fairly new.
ALSO READ: 100% rural households will be covered by JJM by 2024
