Editorials
by Rajen Kumar
APEDA Rendering Lip Service
For over four years now, we have been making relentless efforts to fill information deficit that painfully exists in the country's Micro, Small and Medium Sector. Encouragingly enough,...
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Special Reports
Jan 2012Be Skeptical. Be very Skeptical. Mistake upon Mistake
In recent months, we've had a few slip-ups by the official statistical system in India: • Yesterday's IIP release was preceded by a mistake. Mint says: On Monday, the...
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Editorials
Feb, 2012
APEDA Rendering Lip Service
For over four years now, we have been making relentless efforts to fill information deficit that painfully exists in the country's Micro, Small and Medium Sector. Encouragingly enough, SME WORLD has now become almost a brand name winning accolades from all quarters with its reach increasing by the day. “Out of the box”, “Thanks a lot for providing me the much-needed information on the IT sector”, “This is the only magazine giving me useful inputs”, “I am now a well-informed person”, “I didn't know anything about IPR, Thanks to SME WORLD”, “I find your magazine an essential information channel” etc. are some of the comments we have been receiving from entrepreneurs, scholars, industry captains and the like. 
Jan, 2012
New Thoughts for the New Year
Years come and go and New Year resolutions are made and then forgotten. Shaking hands and saying Happy New Year is all we do and soon we find ourselves head down busy in our routine tasks. Make a difference this New Year. We have some meaningful thoughts to share with the entrepreneurs.
Dec, 2011
Gujarat Shows the Way
While the economists may be dreaming for a double digit growth for Indian economy, Gujarat has been achieving the feat year after year and continues to occupy a distinctive position in the Indian economy. With 5 percent of the country's population and 6 percent of the country's geographical area, Gujarat contributes a creditable 16 percent of industrial production & 22 percent of exports in India to become a leading industrial and progressive state in the country.
Nov, 2011
Procurement Policy Implementation : Many Holes to be Plugged
With the Union Cabinet's approval of the Procurement Policy requiring the agencies of the central ministries, departments and public sector undertakings, to source at least 20% of their respective annual purchases from micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the government has, no doubt, covered a first milestone.
Oct, 2011
Listen to the Knock
India has come a long way since Independence. It has an industrial workforce to reckon with. It is an acknowledged nuclear power. India's IT industry rules the roost in the world. It's GDP has taken a big leap forward and the double digit growth is on the cards. Today, the world acknowledges India as a super economy in the making.
Sep, 2011
Will Lokpal Bill Mean an End to Inspectors' Raj?
This is our anniversary issue and we feel proud to lend our total support to the crusade launched by Anna Hazare and his dynamic team against the system of governance which has gone corrupt over the years. Discontent and frustration in the common man has been simmering for a long time and Anna's spark only worked to ignite it into a wild fire.
Aug, 2011
Micro Finance needs Macro Efforts
The microfinance model in India needs to be fully revamped and re-conceptualized. Microfinance efforts should lead to economic empowerment rather than being mere instruments of financial aids and/or monetary assistance for consumption. Our banks and financial institutions responsible for initiating the task have failed the test.
Jul, 2011
Next level Bottlenecks
We are set to compete with formidable overseas markets. China is one example which is in the process of replacing more and more Indian produce. We must develop a mechanism which has a direct linkage with the efforts of the entrepreneurs ready to take the next step in his growth agenda. Their isolation will cost the economy dearly.
Jun, 2011
Crutches for Subsidies: But How will They Learn to Race?
The majority called the small and struggling entrepreneurs in the rural and remote areas are offered a set of crutches, a pittance of a subsidy to somehow hobble but not to be on one's feet, walk, run or race while the big industries, incidentally the cream of tax evaders, are left free to professionalize a paid lobby and hobnob with the policy makers in the corridors of power to sail through. Thus, the recent unearthing of scams, aptly termed as tip of the iceberg, is the unwanted newborn of an illegitimate nexus.
May, 2011
Insulate the small entrepreneur
Corporate with a strong lobby are known to influence government policies which often lean in favour of the strong and the mighty. In a country like India where the industrial activity is labour-intensive, the industrial policies should be framed keeping in mind the needs of the teeming millions of the country. It is a sad fact that despite globalization and opening of economy, the poverty club of the country is inflating.
Apr, 2011
Time to Make All Lending Transparent
Why RBI can't make it mandatory for all banks and financial institutions otherwise bubbling with funds to declare on their website an explicit account of the lending. How much funds are available, whom have they funded and how many entrepreneurs applied and the reasons for their rejections.
Mar, 2011
Pranab da, we were talking about tax refroms, not tax forms for MSMEs
Life for an average entrepreneur who is also an aam admi of India and who is hardly able to afford now cheaper luxuries like air-conditioner, LED TV, hybrid car etc. will be tougher, without doubt.
Feb, 2011
Keep the INSPECTOR, Remove the RAJ
The Inspector Raj still reigns supreme and the bright-eyed men belonging to Sales Tax, Excise, Boiler, Labour, Octroi, VAT, Pollution Control, Police and many other departments continue to throng our mostly micro and small entrepreneurs running factories and other manufacturing and trading units across the country.
Jan, 2011
You Rock My Chair; I Rock Yours !
Corporate sector's growth alone cannot lead to inclusive growth without a robust SMEs sector. Prime Minister didn't mention a word about the SMEs sector mired deep down in a well of uncertainties. Sustained planning is needed for sustainable growth. Otherwise, let's be happy by rocking each other's chair.
Dec, 2010
Trade Fairs Are Not for Trading
For ITPO, trade fairs are yet a business proposition, not a promotional activity. The IITF seems to be fast losing its luster. Times have changed and let the organization has a new ecosystem which justifies its very name.
Nov, 2010
Developed India for Developing Indians
The US President put a stamp of confirmation on the certificate that India is a powerhouse albiet a developed country. However, his remarks that India, as a developed nation, will have to discharge its responsibility of being an economic leader raise many questions.
Oct, 2010
Do we really need engineers for clerical jobs?
The fact that our aspiring engineers are compelled to take up clerical jobs stems from the fact that there is a looming insecurity amongst the youth. They are still attracted towards ‘pucca’ jobs for life-long security. That means taking to entrepreneurship is yet insecure in our country and we have failed to raise an ecosystem where the economic pillars of tomorrow i.e. India’s 60% of population, can flourish and make our economy stand on a firm footing.
Sep, 2010
Nation Shames Its Own SMEs
Who would believe that India doesn’t have a single enterprise who could develop and produce napkins and umbrellas for the commonwealth games? As it is, there was enough time since it was decided nearly four years ago that India would finally host the games. Why did not the organizing committee act swiftly and allowed sufficient time to the Indian enterprises to produce merchandise of international standards? The big question is why was the crisis situation created and orders were placed in the nick of time?
Aug, 2010
Skilling the Nation
Raising and utilizing the vast infrastructure – setting up training institutes, skills centers for rural areas, monitoring and upgrading the sick and decaying technical centers, building a force of trainers for the trainers is a massive task. For NSDC, working on a PPP model may be an experiment. The future may belong to working on the PPP mode for governance in the industry and elsewhere but making ready millions with skills and training to generate employment to bring about economic prosperity for the nation is another thing.
Jul, 2010
Media Motives and Report Cards?
The Minister of MSME was made to don a saddle of an injured and limping horse – the MSMEs sector - which has been the victim of sheer neglect until recently. It was only in the last two years that the sector claiming a sizeable share in the productivity and exports came under the focus of the government and trade and economic institutions and media too.
Jun, 2010
CSR: Who Cares?
World Bank report says that every second Indian is poor. Government of India, as if in pride, says that every third, not second, Indian is poor. Let us accept both and say that over 400 million Indians are living below the poverty line. The bitter fact remains that even after more than 60 years of Independence India still has the world\\\\\\\'s largest number of poor people in a single country.
May, 2010
Need to Make Assistance Schemes Entrepreneur-Friendly
If our government is keen to promote and assist our entrepreneurs to go in for international exposure then why can not it make such schemes entrepreneur-friendly and which are truly encouraging? The cumbersome procedures and the role of our babus have to be checked.
Apr, 2010
SME Exchange: Merchant Bankers Hold the Key
Things seem to be in place for the SME Exchange to become a reality. SEBI is all set to give final guidelines soon as we understand. Merely starting the Exchange is unlikely to solve problems of the SMEs sector. How soon and how far the Exchange will become viable before it starts attracting investments is a big question.
Mar, 2010
Half-Open Door for MSMEs
In view of the overall national realization and recognition of the important role played by the MSMEs sector in the national economic development, the Finance Minister only opened the door half way for sector in his union budget with flashes of hope notwithstanding.
Feb, 2010
Where are the Professionals for Small Enterprises?
A young professional after he passes out from the institute must be allowed to go through stages of advancements in his career. It must be a gradual process. Let him weather seasons before he becomes strong and confident enough to be a professional with proven abilities.
Jan, 2010
Declare 2010 'Year of the Small Entrepreneur'
It is only recently that the government has woken up to realise the importance of entrepreneurship and has started garnering more interest with considerable efforts to improve the lot of our neglected entrepreneur.
Dec, 2009
Illiteracy Ails Our Entrepreneurs
India has a fund of talent and capability in our millions of micro entrepreneurs who quietly work from their homes producing world class master pieces in a variety of handicrafts. No attention has been given to such small entrepreneurs carrying a big potential for exporting their produce.
Nov, 2009
Aiming Without Target
Suddenly, the poor MSME sector has come in sharp focus everywhere. All trade and industry and government channels are talking SMEs, organizing Seminars and Meets and Round Table conferences seriously deliberating and showing concern on the step-motherly treatment being meted out to the sector.
Oct, 2009
Sixty two years on; Rural Banking is still a Far Cry
India has more than 6 lakh villages. Only 9000 villages have more than one bank branch. There are only a little over 32000 rural bank branches which account for about 45 percent of the total branch network.
Sep, 2009
SMEs Need Action, Not a Task Force !
We have deadlines carefully set for metro-rails, commonwealth games etc. but we have not chosen to set aside any deadline for affording a better deal to our smaller enterprises which form one of the largest employment sector and which contributes a whopping share in the industrial output of our nation.
Aug, 2009
Orphaned SMEs
Who patronises the products by small entrepreneurs? None. We happily patronise products by jail-inmates and put up their exhibitions but the small entrepreneur in India lives like an orphan. Why can't our railways, defence canteens and Kendriya Bhandars start selling proven quality products produced by our MSMEs? Who prevents our state assemblies and our parliament to patronise consumer products made by small entrepreneurs? Our rural agro industry - the lifeline of our economy - is languishing for want of strong market back-up. It seems we are bent upon patronising maggis and Nestles.
Jul, 2009
SMEs : National Frustration
The Congress manifesto assured the nation on giving a new deal to SMEs and the first generation entrepreneurs. However, the Congress Party seems to have forgotten this as the union budget proposals announced by the Finance Minister has failed millions of hopeful entrepreneurs in the SME sector with no tangible relief coming their way.
Jun, 2009
Time to deliver
The UPA government is firmly in the saddle. It is all set to govern the world's most populous democracy for the second consecutive turn. So intense was the enthusiasm that it set a 100-day agenda for its ministers to show a sample of what is to be done in the next 1700 days.
Apr, 2009
Who will help Sanjay?
Sanjay clicked the button on the keyboard to put his desktop in stand by mode as his colleagues gathered around him with their lunch packs to head for the grub. Sanjay was happy as his first stint in the software house was completing six months.
Mar, 2009
Micro Entrepreneurs Need a Breather
Not long ago, it was a rosy time for our economists. We talked of unavoidable 'double-digit growth', 'India Shining', the 'booming economy' and we have been trying to sell ourselves to outsiders as 'incredible India'. Today the world economy suffers multiple fractures and the two all powerful economies the US and the formidable India and China- are shaken to the core.
Feb, 2009
Entrepreneurship: Swimming without a Pool
Indian students going abroad for their higher studies cost the country the precious foreign exchange outflow of over $10 billion annually. Our country is losing another few billions of forex when professionals like doctors, engineers, physiotherapists, architects and others complete their studies in India and take up jobs abroad. Making a doctor costs the state exchequer nearly a million rupees.
Jan, 2009
Enjoy the Recess
Our economy is facing a recess period- a temporary cessation from work. What makes the economy different from school time is that in the economy the recess is not fixed. Sometimes it comes too early and at times after a long gap. But recessions do come.
Dec, 2008
Protect the Small Businesses
Ever since independence, our country has had to face crises of a variety of nature. We have fought four major wars, suffered natural calamities, witnessed communal frenzies etc. All have had their toll on life and property.
Nov, 2008
Emulate the Entrepreneurs of Yore
Business is not all about making money. Where are the good old days when industrialists of yore felt duty-bound to share their booty and extend their arms to the poor and the needy? Our traditional corporate houses of the ilk of the Birlas, the Tatas, the Srirams etc. have done yeoman service to humankind and went all out to set up institutions as edifices of social progress and change.
Oct, 2008
Defuse The Food Bomb
When the lights are finally switched off on the glint and glare of the 30-day commonwealth sports rendezvous in the winter of 2010, the vendors, freshly treated to a 'make over' as a cosmetic exercise for the city's 'clean' look may not have the last laugh.
Our Achievements
- Winner of appreciation award for promoting SMEs in India.
- 1st ever Indian magazine to penetrate tier II, III cities & the rural belt.
- Industry Partnerships include CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, PHDCC, AIMA, ITPO, SME Network, Federation of Indian Micro Small Enterprises (FISME)
- Official Magazine Partners for several national & international MSME events.
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The Last Word
Down the Memory Lane
Zainul Abdin was the only person who would pour his heart out to me in a mix of Urdu-Hindi (Hindustani ) in hush-hush tones during the war-torn Dhaka (then Dacca) in the early 70s where I worked...
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