'MSME Champions' By MSME Ministry To Utilise Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Tools to Address MSME Issues

For providing assistance and solutions to the issues of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the Ministry of MSME in a major initiative has onboarded latest IT tools of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). Ministry has implemented AI & ML on its robust Single Window System 'Champions' which was launched by the Prime Minister on 1st June, 2020.

This multi-modal system has a portal at the virtual level and technology-equipped physical control rooms at around 69 locations of the country. It has emerged as one of the front runner platforms for the MSMEs in a very short span of time.

Ministry of MSME has taken Covid-19 as a challenge and is converting it into an opportunity with futuristic interventions. In this difficult period, Ministry is not only whole-heartedly supporting the MSMEs and trying to convert this crisis into an opportunity, but is, in fact, making them break their barriers, make a paradigm shift and become champions.

MSME Ministry further said that it is working aggressively to take the Nation and the MSMEs in the direction of Industry 4.0.  They are not only adopting the technologies categorized as part of Industry 4.0 but are also encouraging the MSMEs to adopt the same. They are also helping the MSMEs to manufacture its essential and enabling products like sensors, motors, computer displays and other animation technologies.

"The ‘Champions’ stands for Creation and Harmonious Application of Modern Processes for Increasing the Output and National Strength. The ‘Champions’ portal is a combination of technologies formed to help, guide, empower, ease and support the MSME sector of the country."

As promised earlier, the Ministry has implemented Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) on their Champions portal. Technology Company Intel is their partner in this journey. Intel has guided the Ministry for the last five months in implementing some of the tools of AI & ML which are ready for use fr0m.

Ministry has also said that Intel and its technology partner have implemented the entire domain of AI & ML at their Champions portal totally free of cost.

MSME Minister, Nitin Gadkari elaborated the work done by the Ministry in this direction during the AI Summit organized by Intel on Wednesday.  He specially thanked Intel and its partner for doing this service to India Pro-Bono.

He also said that the entire concept and scope analysis and design have been done in house in the Ministry with the help of NIC and under the guidance of the local team of Intel. He complimented these teams wholeheartedly.

While highlighting MSME Champions' technology expertise, Secretary MSME, Mr. AK Sharma have earlier mentioned, "To widen the scope of Information technology, the Ministry of MSME has been actively working towards ways to facilitate MSMEs and assist them through all the stages in the business cycle. For ease of doing business, the Ministry has launched a robust Information and Communications Technology (ICT) based Internet Grievances Monitoring System portal called ‘Champions’ (www.champions.gov.in). The ‘Champions’ stands for Creation and Harmonious Application of Modern Processes for Increasing the Output and National Strength. The ‘Champions’ portal is a combination of technologies formed to help, guide, empower, ease and support the MSME sector of the country. Besides ICT tools incorporating telephone, internet and video conference, the system is enabled with Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics and Machine Learning, to bring and tackle all grievances and suggestions under one-stop to help MSMEs. It is also fully integrated on a real-time basis with GOI’s main grievances portal CPGRAMS and MSME Ministry’s own other web-based mechanisms."

IN an article earlier published on SMEStreet have elaborated Secretary Mr. Sharma's perspective towards building a support ecosystem for MSMEs through MSME Champions.

"The Portal is packed with astonishing user-friendly features providing people with a fully integrated dashboard comprising organised data, the registration method is with OTP generation, for every grievance a new Complaint ID is created, different categories are available for users based on Association, MSME Unit, Would be Entrepreneur, etc. The Champion portal users can check all the grievances at one place on the dashboard as well as track the status of the same," Mr. Sharma quoted.

The Champions portal works on Hub and Spoke model comprising 66 State-level Control Rooms at offices of MSME- DI, BR MSME- DI offices, KVIC offices, NSIC offices, and Coir Board offices, which are impeccably connected with the Central Control Room at the Ministry of MSME, Delhi. The portal aims to help MSMEs in the present difficult situation due to COVID-19 lockdown as well as support them in future in terms of finance, raw materials, labour, regulatory permissions, etc. The system encourages MSMEs to capture new opportunities, as well as identifies potential MSMEs, who can become National and International Champions. The motto of the Champions portal is to solve problems of the MSME sector in the short run and create them as National and International Champions in the long run.