MSME ministry plans tech centre in all districts

The government may establish technology centres in each district along the lines of the One District One Product (ODOP) programme, drawing on the strengths of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) expertise in these areas that will help them access the latest technology aligned with their manufacturing requirement, an official said on Friday.

"We are hoping something like ODOP in the technology vertical (tech centres) is established under the hub and spoke model. Every district will have these technology centres on the strength of that particular district so that MSMEs can access technology," said Mercy Epao, joint secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises

The government is also focusing on nano enterprises, which are smaller than micro-enterprises, addressing their challenges such as access to the market, providing credit and complying with regulations including sustainability.


Speaking at the Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises' international conference, Epao said, "We are looking at nano firms that are below the micro, helping them reach the market, standardise, comply with regulations, meet SDG (United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals), make them sustainable and empower them under protection of intellectual property rights."

The MSME ministry also aims to formalise more than 90 million enterprises through registrations on Udyam portal by 2029, with more than half of them owned by women entrepreneurs.

There's also a need for a vendor development programme to facilitate access to products developed by government bodies, Epao added.