ET Make in India SME Summit highlights Raipur’s role in driving MSME sector forward

The ET Make in India SME Regional Summit, held in Raipur on October 30, drew a full house of industry associations, small businesses, and policy stakeholders. Participants deliberated on key issues impacting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the region and discussed Chhattisgarh’s crucial role in driving the MSME sector forward, as well as the growth opportunities it offers.

The ET Make in India SME Regional Summit, a series of 20 nationwide on-ground events, aims to unravel emerging opportunities, address critical challenges, and promote meaningful knowledge-sharing and networking to unlock growth for MSME sector.
The event began with a keynote address delivered by Manoj Mohan Sinha, Deputy General Manager of the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), Raipur, on ‘The Chhattisgarh growth story: Empowering MSMEs for Viksit Bharat.’ During the address, Sinha emphasised that the MSME sector must focus on increasing its effectiveness and competitiveness in response to evolving global scenarios to meet international standards.


Highlighting Chhattisgarh’s potential, Sinha said that the state has ample scope to expand its services sector, particularly in areas such as religious and eco-tourism. “If we compare with other states in terms of mining, power, steel, cement production or forest-related products, Chhattisgarh has a lot of scope,” he said.

Register here for the Madurai session

This was followed by a fireside chat with Shuubhika Jain, Founder of RAS Luxury Skincare, who spoke about building a global luxury brand from the heart of India. Jain mentioned that the brand's transparency has enabled them to build credibility with customers.

After her session an engaging panel discussion took place, bringing together experts and industry leaders to discuss the theme ‘Inclusive industrialisation: Empowering MSMEs across the value chain.’

Talking about setting up a business from a smaller city like Raipur, Yash Agrawal, Founder and CEO of Gimbooks, noted that the two biggest challenges his company faced were building the right team and raising capital. However, operating out of Raipur proved to be more of an advantage than a limitation for his business, he said. “The team here tends to be more flexible, adaptable, and open to learning.”

Delving into his entrepreneurial experience, Akash Agrawalla, Co-founder of Zoff Foods, recalled that Zoff Foods was born out of learnings from his earlier experience in the steel market. Agarwalla also said that innovation is immensely significant in the overall scheme of things. “Innovation helped us stand out and differentiate from others. If you won't innovate, someone else will surely do it and get noticed,” he said.

Continuing the discussion, Ashwin Garg, President of Urla Industries Association, stated that a collaborative effort between the government and industry is the need of the hour. “Government policies should be implemented on time to ensure that start-ups and other businesses receive timely financial support,” he said, adding that government and industry need to align on a clear financial strategy.

After the panel, Sumit Phakka, Deputy Managing Director of IDBI Bank, joined the stage for an exclusive fireside chat outlining IDBI Bank’s strategic imperatives for empowering MSMEs. “As a bank, we aim to follow the growth trajectory in every city, opening branches to capitalise on emerging opportunities and offer tailored financial solutions,” he said.

Phakka added that their cash management system is one of the best, and they are offering it to both corporate and MSME customers.

Next up, Sujay Sharma, Sales Manager-BIS Channel, Canon India, gave a presentation on ‘Making Business Simple with Canon’ at the summit.

The final session of the evening was a presentation by CS Arya, General Manager of IDBI Bank, detailing the organisation’s initiatives, outreach, and tools empowering MSMEs via a presentation.

This concluded the ET SME Summit in Raipur, showcasing how MSMEs can leverage their strengths and counter challenges effectively. The summit served as a key platform for bringing industry experts together and offering networking opportunities to a host of small businesses in the city.

The event was sponsored by IDBI Bank as the Banking & Lending Partner and Canon as the Tech Enabler. The ET Make in India SME Regional Summit is supported by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. The Summit now heads to Madurai on November 7 for another round of conversations, discussions, and learning as part of the ET SME Make in India pan-India series.