Srinagar, Aug 07 (KNO): Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a comprehensive review meeting to assess the functioning and progress of the J&K MSME Health Clinic, a digital initiative aimed at monitoring, diagnosing and revitalizing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the Union Territory through timely assessment and targeted interventions.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary, Public Works Department; Commissioner Secretary, Industries & Commerce Department; Director Industries & Commerce, Jammu/Kashmir; Director Handloom & Handicrafts, Kashmir/Jammu; besides other senior officers of the Industries & Commerce Department.
The meeting deliberated upon the progress made under the initiative, status of assessment of industrial units, capacity-building measures and strategies for expediting rehabilitation of stressed enterprises through coordinated institutional support.
Emphasising the need for strengthening the support ecosystem for MSMEs, the Chief Secretary directed the Industries & Commerce Department to augment the existing Small Business Development Units (SBDUs) functioning across the districts by providing adequate dedicated human resources or inducting representatives from other stakeholder departments, wherever required, to make these units more effective and result-oriented.
He also stressed the need for conducting regular capacity-building programmes by IIM Jammu for SBDU members across all districts to ensure professional and quality assessment of industrial units. He directed that the SBDUs should actively analyse the reports prepared after health assessment of MSMEs and closely monitor implementation of the recommendations made therein to facilitate timely revival of stressed units.
Calling for expeditious assessment of MSMEs, the Chief Secretary asked the concerned to substantially enhance the pace of health assessment by adopting a hybrid approach involving both physical and virtual visits to industrial units.
He further advised Additional Chief Secretary, Public Works Department, to hold consultations with J&K Bank for exploring suitable mechanisms for restructuring loans of sick MSMEs based on the recommendations emerging from the Health Clinic assessments.
Earlier, the Commissioner Secretary, I&C, Vikramjit Singh apprised the meeting that the MSME Health Clinic has emerged as a significant platform for identifying financially stable enterprises as well as units requiring rehabilitation, thereby facilitating evidence-based policy interventions for strengthening the industrial ecosystem across the Union Territory.
He also apprised the meeting about the compliance with directions issued by Chief Secretary during the previous meeting. He revealed that an interactive chatbot has been integrated into the MSME Health Clinic portal, while its upgraded version has been shared with IIM Jammu for further refinement.
It was also informed that district-level training programmes have been successfully completed across both Jammu and Kashmir divisions, with trained personnel now available in all the twenty districts to support Health Clinic operations. Additionally, the system has been strengthened to significantly enhance issuance of health certificates, with around 15,000 stability certificates already issued to MSMEs.
Giving details the Director, Industries, Jammu, Arun Manhas informed that 1,00,371 MSMEs have so far been registered on the MSME Health Clinic portal, while 73,907 units have undergone analytical assessment by BISAG. Of these, 68,218 units (92.3%) have been categorised as stable, whereas 5,689 units (7.7%) have been identified as recoverable or vulnerable to sickness, requiring focused handholding and rehabilitation support.
It was further informed that J&K Bank has already accessed the database of nearly 2.97 lakh MSMEs, which will now be analysed by BISAG over the next two weeks, enabling substantial expansion in the coverage of the Health Clinic programme and bringing a larger number of enterprises under systematic assessment.
The Chief Secretary was also informed that IIM Jammu has completed 338 virtual interactions and 117 field visits with MSMEs, leading to the preparation of 34 rehabilitation reports, all of which have been approved by the respective District Level Approval Committees (DLACs).
Reiterating the importance of early diagnosis and timely intervention, the Chief Secretary directed the concerned officers to intensify registration of MSMEs on the Health Clinic portal, expedite assessment of all eligible enterprises and ensure prompt preparation and implementation of rehabilitation plans for stressed units.
He observed that timely revival support would significantly improve the sustainability, productivity and competitiveness of MSMEs, thereby contributing to industrial growth and employment generation in the Union Territory.
He also emphasised close coordination among the Industries & Commerce Department, J&K Bank, BISAG, IIM Jammu and other stakeholder institutions for seamless implementation of the programme and effective delivery of support services to entrepreneurs—(KNO)