‘Friends of MSMEs In Parliament’ Hold 5th Samwad During Budget Session

New Delhi, Aug 14 (KNN) With the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha, the ‘Friends of MSMEs in Parliament’ have returned to support the backbone of the Indian economy—the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

The group of Members of Parliament recently met in New Delhi to hold the 5th Samwad (dialogue) with MSME representatives.

Lok Sabha MP from Indore, Shankar Lalwani, has assumed the Chairmanship of ‘Friends of MSMEs in Parliament’ for the current Lok Sabha, while former MP of Meerut, Rajendra Agrawal, will serve as the Convenor.

Addressing the representatives of MSME associations, Chairman Lalwani urged stakeholders to study the role of the MSME sector in making India a developed country by 2047.

“Everyone acknowledges that MSMEs are the backbone of the Indian economy. Given this, it’s time we identified potential growth drivers in the MSME sector and their specific needs to realize their full potential in achieving the goal of making India a developed country by 2047,” he added.

During the meeting, an Annual Round-Up of the Forum's activities in 2023-24 was also released.

Speaking on the occasion, former MP from Meerut and Convenor Rajendra Agrawal said, “Within one year of its inception, the ‘Friends of MSMEs in Parliament’ platform has proven very successful in resolving MSME issues. It has effectively brought together industry leaders and policymakers to understand each other’s perspectives and find solutions.”

In addition to Chairman Lalwani and Convenor Agrawal, other Members of Parliament present at the meeting included Jagdambika Pal (MP, Domariyaganj, UP), Parbhubhai Vasava (MP, Bardoli, Gujarat), Alok Sharma (MP, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh), Ashish Dubey (MP, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh), and Kripanath Mallah (MP, Karimganj, Assam).

Formed in 2023 after a large number of MSMEs were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ‘Friends of MSMEs in Parliament’ aims to serve as a bridge between the MSMEs and the Parliament.

It leverages Parliamentary institutions such as departments and related Parliamentary Standing Committees to resolve MSME issues. The forum organizes interactions with stakeholders to gather their concerns and aspirations and voice them in Parliament.

The forum has been instrumental in resolving long-standing MSME issues such as difficulties with SMA classification, BLR ratings, and delays in contractual disputes, including delayed payment provisions in the MSMED Act.

The Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME) acts as the Secretariat for the Forum.

(KNN Bureau)