New Delhi, Feb 2: India SME Forum on Wednesday hailed the union budget saying it maintains continuity in terms of the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is a step forward in strengthening the base of the pyramid.
”The government is keen to continue the revive & reform process to rejuvenate and empower the economy. The establishment of faceless customs, exemptions and concessions on imports required for exports along with reducing compliances and promoting single window mechanism for clearances are steps in the right direction,” it said.
The forum said accelerated payments by the government for procurements and encouraging settlements of disputes through conciliation, completely paperless and end-to-end online e-billing systems, use of surety bonds as substitute for bank guarantee would all make the lives of MSMEs easier.
”The focus on skill development and vocational education along with the interlinking of various portals will accelerate the availability of skilled manpower for MSMEs. Specific focus on building capacity in the animation, visual effects, gaming, tech upgradation, Digital India, Defense, R&D and Production, sunrise opportunities will all help us in reaping the demographic dividend,” it said.
The government’s push for the rural economy and the various initiatives for reducing taxation and enhancing the income of cooperatives including the post offices, banking outlets, involvement of MSMEs in delivery of listed services to farmers and funding for agricultural and rural startups through NABARD along with the vibrant village programme and PM Gati Shakti Master plan for road transport, multi modal movement of goods and people, Multi Modal Logistics Parks, were all meant for scaling up of the rural landscape in India, providing much needed connectivity for economic development and stemming migration to urban areas, it noted.
