Govt mulls to set up new MSME training centres

BANGALORE, INDIA: MSME Secretary Uday Kumar Varma on Tuesday said that the government is considering to set up more than 50 new training centres for upgrading skills of workforce in the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector.

The National Skill Development Corporation aims to provide skill training to 150 million persons by 2022. “Of these 150 million, 15 million people have to be skilled through my ministry ... I think there is a necessity to set up 52 more tool rooms. At least 2-3 in each state,” Varma is quoted by a news agency report.

At present, there are 10 tool rooms (training centres) in the country, including in Kolkata, Ludhiana, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar and Jamshedpur. The people would get training in tool and dye-making.

“We certainly need to expand the existing ones and create many more tool rooms in the country,” he said, adding that currently, the ministry is training about a million people.

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Tool rooms are independent societies funded by the government. They are profit-making bodies and self-sustaining.

The government provide funds for capital expansion and various activities like replacement of machines, he said adding about 40,000 people get training in one year in these centres. There are 26 million MSME enterprises, which provide employment to 60 million people in the country.

Earlier, speaking at an inter-active session with coir industry stakeholders, convened by the Coir Board at Alappuzha Monday, the MSME Secretary had said that the ministry is in the process of finalising the 12th plan document aimed at enhancing the contributions of the MSME.

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Stressing the need to speed up mechanisation, value addition and diversification of the coir sector to sustain India's dominance in the global coir export market, Varma also called for stepping up R&D efforts in this sphere.

Varma, on a four day visit to Kerela to study the status of the MSME sector, also inaugurated a pneumatic wooden handloom weaving unit developed by CCRI for enhanced productivity.