Joint Council of Micro and Small industries questions how much of the 3 lakh-crore package will benefit MSMEs
Coimbatore: The Joint council of 19 micro and small industrial associations in Coimbatore have come up with a few demands to the Central government while posing a very important question - how will the micro and small industries benefit from the 3 lakh-crore relief package announced by finance minister Nirmala Seetharaman a few days ago?
In a joint press conference organized by the associations including TACT (TamilNadu Association of Cottage and Tiny Enterprises), COSIEMA (Coimbatore SIDCO Industrial Estate Manufacturers Welfare Association) and 17 other associations, J.James, president TACT, addressed the press on various demands of the joint council of associations. The first and foremost demand of the joint council was regarding the share of benefits and funds for the micro and small industries in the 3 lakh-crore relief package for the industry.
The joint council put forth various other demands to the central government such as allotting 90% of the proposed loans to the MSMEs, extension of EMI Moratorium to 1 year, payment of arrears from public and private sector units, reduction of interest rates, lowering GST, etc.
The council requested that the changes the government made in defining the micro and small industries based on capital should not be implemented in the current scenario since these changes might cause confusion. They suggested the government should hold discussions with micro and small industries associations whereas now the discussions are only happening with medium and large industrial associations, who will not be able to represent the problems of micro and small industries effectively.
The joint council had a few demands to the TN government too. They demanded complete waiver of electricity charges for small and micro industries for the period between March 2020 and June 2020, as implemented in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh and that the government should provide a relief package of 1 lakh per industry for unorganized sectors like wet grinder manufacturers, grill welding sector, lathes, and motor winding sector. The asked for loans to micro and small industries be provided through THAICO Bank, which was created for supporting the same.
The joint council of associations has decided to meet with Tamil Nadu Chief minister Edappadi.K.Palaniswamy after the lockdown period and seek his help to aid the small and micro industries, which are facing a lot of problems due to the nationwide lockdown.