New Scheme for Entrepreneurship Development of Disabled Persons: Gadkari

The MSME Ministry will soon announce a new scheme on entrepreneurship and skill training for disabled persons as it looks to expose their talents and provide market for their products, said Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday.

Inaugurating "EKAM Fest", a week-long exhibition and sale of handicrafts, textiles and hand-looms products of artisans, traders/ entrepreneurs, belonging to 'people with disability', Gadkari said the scheme will be worked out in consultation with the ministries of Social Justice and Empowerment (SJE) and Textiles.

"I assure you that the MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) ministry will work (out) a special scheme for the entrepreneurial and skill development of persons with disabilities very soon as the government wants to encourage, expose and provide opportunities for the products of such persons. The scheme will be worked out in consultation with the ministries of SJE and Textiles," the MSME minister said.

Gadkari also assured that the ministry would arrange business loans through the financial institutions to the disabled entrepreneurs without any collateral security. He also said that 29 per cent of the country's GDP and 48 per cent of exports are contributed by MSMEs.

Textiles Minister Smriti Irani has assured international marketing assistance to the textile/handloom products produced and marketed by the disabled entrepreneurs.

She has also promised free distribution of handloom tool kits for the disabled weavers through the textile ministry.

Social justice minister Thaawarchand Gehlot said the exhibition, organised by the National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation (NHDFC) under his ministry, was aimed at providing an avenue for the display and marketing of the products made by people with disabilities.

The ministry is providing assistance by way of supplying raw materials, production and marketing of products generated by the disabled entrepreneurs, he added. PTI JBL

Govt to Give Major Boost to MSME Sector: Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said the Modi government was all set to give a major boost to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.

He was speaking at the first-ever Bunts Star Achievers Awards 2020 instituted by the Indian Bunts Chamber of Commerce & Industry (IBCCI).

"MSMEs account for 48 per cent of the exports and employ 11 crore people. We are giving a major boost to the MSME sector...it drives the economy," Gadkari said.

The MSME minister added that India needs an institute for enterprises and entrepreneurship.

"We need fast decision-making and that is the hallmark of this government," he added. He claimed that despite global economic recession, India was the fastest growing economy.

"What matters is conversion of knowledge to wealth and waste to wealth. Environment and development must go together," he said, adding that a holistic thinking was required to ensure that infrastructure development is not delayed.

Union Chemicals and Fertilizer Minister Sadananda Gowda said that since the BJP-led NDA government came to power, the ease of doing business has improved to the World Bank global ranking of 63 from the earlier 134.

Gowda, a former Karnataka chief minister, also said GST has "changed the scenario".

"GST Council is an autonomous body and in the last two-and-a-half years there has not been a single incident of dissent," he said.

By 2025, Rs 100 crore worth infrastructure projects are coming up, he said. PTI KK

Gadkari Inaugurates 1st Inter-City Electric Bus Service

Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday inaugurated the first inter-city electric bus service, between Mumbai and Pune.

The 43-seater capacity luxury electric bus, manufactured by Mitra Mobility Solution, has a range of 300 kilometre on a single charge and would be operated twice daily between the two cities, the operator Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions said.

The company, which already has around 1,300 electric buses in operation, is also looking to extend these services in other parts of Maharashtra and adjoining states, its Chairman and Managing Director Prasanna Patwardhan said.

Speaking at the event Gadkari, who is the Minister for Transport, Highways and MSMEs, said his efforts in the last 4-5 years have been to see that electric buses run in large numbers on the country's highways.

He also said various corporations, state government corporations and private operators might order some 10,000 electric buses this year.

"We are also planning to build e-(electric) highways," he said.

"This new move in the electric vehicle space gives us yet another opportunity to serve our customers. We also plan to extend this service to other routes within Maharashtra and adjacent states," Patwardhan said. PTI IAS

India to Manufacture Low-Cost Medical Devices: Gadkari

Union MSME minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said his department plans to set up five parks to
manufacture low-cost medical devices in the country.

He also informed about a project being carried out under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to manufacture 'Cochlear implant' equipment.

The equipment will be available at 50 per cent of its cost to people soon, Gadkari said at the annual conference of the Association Otolaryngologists of India here.

He his Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) ministry is working on manufacturing low-cost medical devices in the country itself so that poor people could benefit out of it.

The ministry will be setting up five parks to manufacture medical devices in India, out of which one has already started in Vishakapatanam, Gadkari said.

"Similarly, MRI machine, which used to cost Rs 6.50 crore a piece, is now available for Rs 58 lakh after we started manufacturing it," he said.

In 2019, the country had imported medical devices worth Rs 38,837.28 crore. PTI CLS AP