Banks urged to lend more to Odisha MSME entrepreneurs

Odisha Sun Times Bureau:
Bhubaneswar, Jan 12:

Banks have to play a more poractive role in providing credit facility to youth interested in setting up MSME units in Odisha, said Deputy Chairman of State Planning Board N Bhaskar Rao while inaugurating the workshop on “Credit Facilitation Programme” here today.

“Young entrepreneurs are very enthusiastic about establishing MSME units. But the cooperation of banks is indispesable to finance those prospecting entrepreneurs. In fact, employment generation and making the youth self reliant is possible through promotion of the MSME sector in the state. This is the foremost challenge before the banks. Hence, banks should regularly review the financial condition and viability of MSMEs and provide credit facility in time to hellp them grow, prosper and repay the loan in time,” Rao said.

MSME Secretary Panchanan Dash said departmental officers should guide MSME units and address their grievances at regular intervals. “Selection of genuine entrepreneurs and interaction with them will be beneficial for the stake holders. So an entrepreneur friendly sentiment should be evolved among the bankers and departmental field officers,’ he said.

Capacity building of MSMEs should be a continuous process and emphasis should be given on credit facilitation system for MSMEs, said Ramesh Dharmaji, CGM, SIDBI.

In the workshop held under the Chairmanship of N Palai, Director of Industries, OSIC MD B B Behera, SLBC Convenor A K Samantray and General Manager of SIDBI S S Acharya were also present.

On the fifth day of the MSME Trade Fair, more than 200 participants attended the workshop. Besides, 32 trade enquiries were made between MSMEs and bankers amounting to Rs.20 crores of business proposals.