Week-long awareness program on sensitizing MSMEs in Kashmir concludes at NIT Srinagar

Committed to design expertise via MSMEs for building nation for better tomorrow: Director NIT Srinagar

Srinagar, March 07: A week-long awareness program on sensitizing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) on design and innovation concluded on Tuesday at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar.

The awareness program was organized by Innovation, Incubation, and Entrepreneurship Development (IIED) Centre and is sponsored by the Ministry of MSME, New Delhi.

The program was held at different Industrial Clusters in Kashmir that include Khonmoh Industrial Estate, Lassipora Industrial Estate Pulwama and Sopore Industrial Estate.

Velladurai Jt., Director MSME, J&K is the chairman, Dr Saad Parvez Head, IIEDC and Saheel Alaqband Assistant Director MSME, Srinagar are the convenor of the program.

Dr Dinesh Kumar Rajendran, Assistant Professor Mechanical is the Nodal Officer for MSME Design & IPR Scheme and Dr Noor Zaman Khan is the coordinator of the event.

On the occasion, Director NIT Srinagar, Prof. Rakesh Sehgal said micro-level industries are major sources of employment, particularly in developing countries where large-scale industries are limited.

“There is a need for such industries in the region and NIT Srinagar is committed to use its resources for the benefit of the general public,” he said.

Prof. Sehgal said that MSME’s provide job opportunities for people with limited education and training besides helping to reduce unemployment and poverty.

Institute’s Registrar, Prof. Syed Kaiser Bukhari said that end-use of education is to give back to society in the form of solutions to various problems.

“There is a need for such awareness programs to reach out to the grass root level in the region. MSME’s contribute to local economic development by creating economic activities and generating income,” he said.

Prof. Bukhari said research and innovation are critical for generating new knowledge, building new infrastructure and educating innovators and entrepreneurs.

Head IIEDC and Convenor of the Program, Prof. Saad Parvez said IIED Centre is strongly focused on development of valley by collaborating with MSMEs since 2017 with various design and incubation schemes.

“Through innovation and use of technology, we can bridge the gap between industry and academia for the prosperous growth of the nation,” he said.

Saheel Alaqband, Assistant Director MSME explained to the industrialist about various schemes available in the Ministry of MSME, the funding mechanism and the support extended by ministry for various sectors in Kashmir.

“Kashmir has its own resources which are unique in the country and it has huge potential on handicraft, Kesar, walnut, apple hence it is high time to establish the sector to compete in global market,” he said.

On the occasion, Dr Sheikh Shahid Saleem introduced the industrialists about the various aspects of design. He highlighted industrialists about better design that can improve the productivity and profit of the company.

“Both design and innovations are interconnected because design plays a pivotal role in the innovation process. Good design is essential for creating innovative products and services that are user-friendly, visually appealing and functional,” he said. Dr Saleem said that design and innovation can take industries to the higher standard.

On the occasion, Dr (Prof.) Noor Zaman Khan highlighted the importance of five (5) axis CNC machines and Wire EDM machines. “Such machines are highly needed by all the industries since the valley does not hold any facility for precision machining and cutting,” he said.

Prof. Noor also offered the industries to utilize the resources and expertise available in NIT Srinagar rather than going to Delhi and Punjab for every need.

 “NIT Srinagar has a high end facility that can support most of the problems faced by Industry,” he said.

Dr Dinesh Kumar Rajendran said they have successfully completed weeklong awareness programs for MSMEs in Kashmir on Design and Innovation.

“We have collected feedback from all the unit holders to understand the needs of the MSMEs in the Industrial Estate of Khonom, Lassipora and Sopore,” he said.

Dr Rajendran said they are also planning to organize two such events in the Jammu region in upcoming weeks as NIT Srinagar is the Nodal office for organizing such events in J&K.

“We have a two days national level workshop scheduled on 13th and 14th March at SKICC Srinagar to nurture MSMEs in the valley eminent design experts across the country will be guiding the program,” he said.