MSME ministry to set up 15 tech centres to train skilled manpower across India

Bangalore, July 17: The Union Ministry of Micro, Medium and Small Enterprises (MSME) has decided to set up 15 technology centres across the country to produce skilled manpower for small scale industries catering to various sectors including automotive, defence and aerospace. K H Muniyappa, Union Minister of State for MSME, said: “The government will establish toolrooms (technology development centres) with international standard in 15 states including Karnataka soon”.

He was speaking at a media meet arranged by the Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA) in Bangalore. The Union government is getting financial assistance of Rs 2,040 crore from the World Bank to establish these technology centres to increase skilled manpower in the country. In the next one month, he said four such training-cum-technology centres will be opened in Karnataka, Haryana, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan. The respective state governments have offered land for this purpose, he added.

Already there are 10 such technology centres across India, offering training for around 10,000 candidates every year. He said around 85-90 percent of trained people from these training centres are getting jobs in various manufacturing industries in the country. Muniyappa said MSME industries have been contributing significantly to the national economy. While the MSME sector has been raising only 25 percent of the total size of loans availed by large scale industries, it contributes around 45 percent of the total production and accounts for 45 percent in exports of manufacturing goods. To encourage the MSME sector countrywide, he said recommendations will be sent out to state governments to create a separate department, secretariat and ministry for MSMEs in their respective states.

Talking to Autocar Professional on the sidelines of the KASSIA meeting, S M Jamkhandi, director for MSME-Development Institute under the MSME ministry, said the manufacturing sector in the country needs international standard skilled manpower as they need to handle critical areas in production lines including moulds and dies, jigs and fixtures, press tools and precision gauges. Training will be offered in testing, calibration and handling various manufacturing process in the technology centres being established by the MSME ministry.

JAISHANKAR JAYARAMIAH

Photograph: K H Muniyappa, Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, addressing a press conference at the KASSIA media meet in Bangalore.