Ludhiana, Oct 18 (KNN) The National SC/ ST Hub, which will be launched by PM Modi here today, will monitor the procurement from SC/ ST MSMEs which currently is just 0.3 per cent of the required 4 per cent target, DICCI President Milind Kamble told KNN.

Kamble is the Chairman of Advisory Council of the National SC/ ST Hub.

Under the National SC/ ST Hub, the institutions like NSIC, NEDFI, State level SC-ST marketing organisations & others would help create consortiums of SC-ST suppliers.

The creation of consortiums would enable small SC/ ST suppliers to participate in medium and large tenders of CPSEs and Central Ministries.

Under the hub, a Management Information System (MIS) would be created which would monitor the performance of CPSEs/ Central Ministries in fulfilling their annual public procurement target from SC/ ST entrepreneurs.

 Talking to KNN, President of Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DICCI), Kamble, said, “DICCI will be a supporting partner for this hub. A High Level Committee has been set up under the chairmanship of MSME Minister Kalraj Mishra to guide and review the performance of the hub.”

“Apart from the Advisory Committee, there is also a Project Approval Committee for the hub under the chairmanship of MSME Secretary KK Jalan,” Kamble added.

The role of the hub, Kamble said, would be strengthening market access for SC/ ST entrepreneurs; monitoring public procurement; capacity building of SC/ ST entrepreneurs; leveraging finance schemes; and sharing best practices.

Under the Public Procurement Policy, every Central Ministry /Department / PSUs shall set an annual target for 20% procurement from MSE Sector. A sub-target of 4% out of 20% target of annual procurement has been earmarked for procurement from MSEs owned by SC/ST entrepreneurs. Overall procurement goal of minimum 20% has become mandatory from 1st April 2015.

However, DICCI chief pointed that since last 3 years, out of 4% target earmarked for procurement from SC/ ST entrepreneurs, only 0.3 per cent of the target is met.

“That is the reason why DICCI requested the Government to create such an ecosystem in which these issues can be addresses,” Kamble said. (KNN Bureau)