File picture of a visitor at the Odisha MSME International Trade Fair held in Bhubaneswar this January

Bhubaneswar, June 5: The state government is planning to add 13,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the state.

According to figures from the 4th MSME Census conducted in 2006-07, Odisha had 1.6 million such units employing around 1.93 million people.

“We want to set up 13,000 new MSME units besides nurturing the existing ones,” said MSME secretary Panchanan Dash.

“We will help them to conceive the project and provide them with entrepreneurship and skill development training. We will provide all kinds of support, including credit link with banks,” he said.

The department is planning to conduct sensitisation campaigns in all the 314 blocks across the state to promote MSMEs, said Dash.

He said the department had issued guidelines to District Industries Centres in this regard.

The department has started filing of entrepreneur memorandum online from April. So far, 1,500 applications have been filed online for setting up MSMEs.

According to the Economic Survey for 2011-12, the number of MSMEs has gone up from 87,861 in 2005-06 to 1.11 lakh in 2010-11.

The investments in the MSME sector have grown from Rs 2,284 crore to Rs 4,306 crore between 2005 and 2011.

Despite these encouraging statistics, only 10 per cent of the MSMEs have been registered and only 12 enterprises have applied for VAT reimbursements in 2010-11 and 2011-12. Moreover, 1,690 units were identified as sick at the end of 2010.

Official sources said the newly constituted MSME department was planning to provide technology and marketing support to the existing units for their survival in the market.

The state government has decided to promote food processing industries with assistance under the National Mission on Food Processing. The Odisha Food Processing Policy has also been formulated by the government.

The Odisha MSME International Trade Fair was held from January 1 to 5 this year in which 200 MSME units participated and showcased their products.

Official sources said 1.4 lakh visitors had visited the trade fair, which received trade enquiries worth Rs 20 crore and made Rs 2 crore business. Forty thousand youths were exposed to various technologies displayed at the fair to become self-employed.