Bhuvaneshwar: Inaugurating the MSME Trade Fair and Celebration of Entrepreneurship Week-2017, Mr Patnaik asked the Single Window Committees to ensure that MSMEs are provided the same facilitation and the ease of approvals as they have been doing for the large industries.
The chief minister expressed happiness that altogether more than 2.5 lakh MSME enterprises have been established in the state with a cumulative investment of more than Rs 12,000 crore and employment to over 11 lakh persons.
Mr Patnaik said with an objective to promote MSME sector and maximise avenues of employment for our youth, the budget provision of the MSME Department for the coming financial year has been increased by more than 48 per cent vis-a-vis the budget provision of the last year.
He stated that the development of ancillary and downstream industries with the help of Central and State PSUs should be accorded priority.Odisha Skill Development Authority Chairman Subrat Bagchi called upon all the Startups and Entrepreneurs to excel in their respective fields.
The chief minister felicitated 20 boys and girls, who have won the Youth Innovation Award. While four of them were awarded Rs 1 lakh each for developing proto-types, the remaining 16 youths were awarded Rs 50,000 each for working on an innovative idea.
MSME Principal Secretary L N Gupta said this this year's MSME Trade Fair has focused on Startups and a separate seminar on "Mission 1000 Startups" has been organised. Over 250 entrepreneurs of the MSME Sector and 50 Startups are participating in the MSME Trade Fair and Entrepreneurship Week.