Mangaluru, July 14 (KNN) In a view of a week-long lockdown from July 16, the Mangaluru-based Kanara Industries Association (KIA) has urged the Dakshina Kannada district administration to exempt Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the region from lockdown.

''MSMEs in the region have slowly resumed their operations after the relaxations in lockdown restrictions. Most of them are now operating at a bare minimum of 40 per cent of their total capacity and are slowly gaining momentum,'' said Ajith Kamath, President of KIA.

Citing that MSME sector from the region contributes around 26 per cent to the GSDP of Karnataka, Kamath requested the district administration to grant exemption to the industries from the lockdown restrictions.

''Apart from impacting production, it will also snatch jobs and hamper the revival of the State economy,'' he added.

He expressed hope that the administration will follow examples from other places such as Chennai, Pune and Delhi where lockdown was imposed but industries were allowed to operate with adequate safeguards, as the imposition of lockdown on the industries will severely impact industrial production and curb attempts to restore normalcy.

He also requested officials concerned to consult the industry stakeholders while formulating guidelines on lockdown.