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Small industries body criticises Budget

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, July 15 � The State Budget has evoked sharp criticism from the micro and small industries of the State.

According to the North Eastern Small Scale Industries Association (NESSIA), though the Budget had brought in some hope for sectors other than micro and small industries, it could have been more growth oriented if some measures had been proposed exclusively for the micro and small industries of the State.

�The micro and small sector industries of Assam had expected better initiatives from the State government for its industrial growth after the Congress came to power for the third consecutive time following a landslide victory. But the Budget had nothing to cheer about for us as it lacked the desired thrust for the MSEs,� NESSIA Assam State president Sailen Baruah said.

According to MSMED Act-2006, industries with an investment of Rs 25 lakh are recognized as micro industries; up to Rs 5 crore as small scale industries; and up to Rs 10 crore as medium scale industries.

Baruah said that for the growth of local SME industries, the State government must withdraw entry tax on plant and machinery required for the industrial setup and raw material coming from outside Assam used by the Industries exclusively for SMEs.

�The entrepreneurs will otherwise feel little inclined to enter the industrial sector. The Government should address the concerns of MSE industries as a priority ensuring its growth along with other industries in the State. The micro sector industries share 80 per cent industrial growth and employment generation in rural areas,� Baruah said.

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