[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]At a Press Conference convened on April 17, PIA President Sri R. Krishnamurthy represented the grievances of micro and small entrepreneurs of Peenya in particular about the latest hike in power tariff, apart from making a request to the State Government for sanction of a Grant to PIA to empower it to take up more developmental activities on behalf of the MSME Sector, and also to express its profound gratitude to the Chief Minister for presenting a pro-MSME State Budget. A gist of the Press Release issued by PIA is given below:
Profound thanks to Hon’ble Chief Minister on MSME-Friendly State Budget
Peenya Industries Association (PIA) expresses its profound appreciation of Hon’ble Chief Minister Sri Siddaramaiah for presenting a State Budget (2017-18) that meets the expectations of the micro and small scale industries on many counts.
PIA would like to specially thank the Chief Minister for some salutary announcements like making available industrial land from KSSIDC/KIADB to micro and small entrepreneurs on 10 years lease cum sale as was the case earlier, and which had been increased to 99 years lease. This will help to realize the dreams of thousands of small entre-preneurs.
Land is the only asset that remains in the hands of a micro entrepreneur and it is his bread and butter, outside the vagaries of running an industry. So once the ownership of land passes on to the entrepreneur after 10 years, it will be akin to a retirement benefit and boost his confidence in running the industry or give wing to his expansion plans.
Another major decision taken was the proposal to have an exclusive Directorate with an independent Commissioner at the helm, for MSMEs. PIA had been successively raising this demand for many years and finally, our demand has been met in this Budget. This will ensure that policy making for MSMEs will be determined solely on the unique needs and concerns and the circumstances governing the small industry.
The enhancement of limit for soft loans to women entrepreneurs at 4% from Rs 50 lac to Rs 2 crore will encourage more and more women to take up self-employment and thus give a tremendous fillip to job creation.
Request for Grant to PIA
Peenya Industries Association (PIA) is promoting various developmental activities like Vendor Development Programmes; setting up Management Institute for the benefit of entrepreneurs and their employees; a Technical Library and conducting various knowledge disseminating Seminars and Workshops. This is apart from a Working Women’s Hostel, Crèche for the children of physically challenged, Common Tool Room for the benefit of MSME Community and their workers.
In view of the yeoman service rendered by Peenya Industries Association (PIA), as many of these initiatives are supple-menting and supporting the activities of the State, PIA would like to request the Hon’ble Chief Minister to consider sanctioning a Grant of Rs 5 crore to Peenya Industries Association (PIA) so that we will be able to make all the State’s Schemes for small industry successful and also reach the true beneficiary.
Re-examine Hike in Power Tariff
The latest power tariff announced by the KERC will hurt the micro and small scale industries very hard, especially in the context of thinning margins and global competition in an open market. PIA would like to strongly urge the Hon’ble Chief Minister to reconsider the hike and withhold it at least so far as the MSME sector is concerned, till the situation in the market is more conducive to MSME growth. It may be borne in mind that the hike poses a grave risk to the very survival of micro and small industries in particular.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]