Guwahati, Jun 28 (KNN) The central government has sanctioned an amount of Rs 1,536 crore for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Assam under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to help the sector hit by COVID pandemic.

Industry Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said this while speaking during a webinar organized by the Industries and Commerce Department on the occasion of 'International MSME Day' on Sunday.

''Due to the lockdown, MSMEs have been badly hit which led to the closure of several units and hence, loss of employment and livelihood for workers. The Union Government had announced Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan of Rs. 20 lakh crore stimulus packages to revive and boost the MSME sector. Over Rs. 1,536 crores have been sanctioned for the MSMEs in Assam till May, 2021 under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee (ECLG) Scheme,'' he added.

The Minister reiterated the commitment of the state government for the economic development and generation of employment through industrialization in Assam and ensuring ease of doing business to the investors and entrepreneurs.

''In order to create a business-friendly environment in the state, the Assam Government introduced the Assam MSME (Facilitation of Establishment and Operation) Act, 2020 which exempts entrepreneurs from the long procedures of approvals and inspections for setting up of MSMEs in the state,'' he stated.

He further encouraged the entrepreneurs to take initiative for commercial processing of local resources like bamboo, agarwood, turmeric, ginger, etc. for value added exports.

He also said that MSME is synonymous to the industrial scenario in a state like Assam. This is represented by the fact that there are 66,584 numbers of industries in Assam, out of which 88 per cent is Micro, 11.5 per cent is small and medium industries.

''Assam's GDP is Rs 4.09 lakh crore and the industry sector contributes 39 per cent to the state GDP. MSME is regarded as the backbone of our economy. With minimum capital investment, MSME ensures maximum employment in comparison to the large industries which mostly rely on automation and Artificial Intelligence,'' he added.

Officials of the Commissionerate of Industries and Commerce, AIDC, AIIDC, ASIDC, MSME-DI, National Small Industries Corporation, General Managers of DICCs, NIC, FINER, Assam Start-Up, business leaders, entrepreneurs were also participated in the virtual meeting.