The State government's initiative to establish one lakh Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in one year as part of the observance of 'Entrepreneurship year' is well on track with more than 50,000 new ventures being established when the campaign completes 145 days, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve has said.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, he said that a total of ₹2,960 crore of investments came through these ventures, while 1.09 lakh new job opportunities were created.
As many as 5,000 new MSMEs have been launched during this period in Malappuram as well as Ernakulam, while 4,000 new MSMEs each have been launched in Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad, Kollam, Thrissur and Kozhikode.
More than 6,000 jobs have been created in Wayanad and Kasaragod districts which are industrially backward. Out of the new ventures, 7,500 were in the agricultural and food production sectors with ₹400 crore investment, 5,800 in the garments and textile sector with ₹250 crore investment, 2,100 are in the electrical and electronics sector with ₹120 crore investment, 1,371 in the automobile sector with ₹106 crore investment, 4,300 in the services sector with ₹270 crore investment and 17,000 in the commercial trade sector with ₹980 crore investment, said Mr. Rajeeve.
Licence and subsidy melas as part of the project are ongoing. A special loan scheme has been launched for ventures being launched as part of the entrepreneurship year with 4% interest rate. Till now, loan melas have been conducted in 403 local bodies, with ₹9.5 crore in loans disbursed. Awareness campaigns were held ahead of the launch of the scheme in all local bodies across the State, in which 85,160 persons participated.
A total of 16,065 of the new ventures are led by women, while those from SC/ST communities have launched 2,300 ventures. The local self-government, cooperative, fisheries, animal husbandry and other departments are coordinating with the industries department as part of the campaign.
Professionally qualified interns had been appointed in all local bodies to coordinate the activities, said Mr. Rajeeve.
