Jalandhar, Oct 22 (KNN) To encourage Punjab’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) perform better, the state government has decided to confer awards to best performing units in the state. In this context, applications have been invited by the state government from MSMEs across nine sectors.

Elaborating this, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Jalandhar Varinder Kumar Sharma said, “For it, the state government has invited applications from MSMEs for awards in nine categories viz Agro and Food Processing, Automobiles and Auto parts, Textiles, Engineering, Pharmaceuticals, IT and Electronics, Sports, Hand Tools and Leather Industry.”

The official acknowledged that Punjab has a natural pool of MSMEs with a strong presence in the light engineering, knitwear and clothing, sports goods and other sectors.

He said the MSME sector was the backbone of the industry of the state and accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the total output and around 80 per cent of the total employment in industry in the state.

Sharma said over the years, industrial employment had been growing in Punjab along with industrial output because of the expansion of labor-intensive MSMEs in the state.

To apply for the awards, the industrialists can log in to http://investpunjab.gov.in/static/msmeawards.

The evaluation for the award was largely system based.

He said that winning MSMEs would receive a cash award worth Rs one lakh each and the last date of filing the application was October 31. Sharma said the winners of the award would be felicitated during the Progressive Punjab Investors Summit scheduled to take place on December 5 at ISB Mohali Campus in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Mohali.

The Deputy Commissioner exhorted more and more MSME units to apply for the awards and participate in this mega event. He said besides helping the industrial units to assess their abilities it would also help them further to compete with their peers both within the country and across the globe. (KNN Bureau)

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