SME Times News Bureau | 14 Jul, 2017
The Ministry of Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprise (MSME) has shown their readiness and preparedness to guide
and help the sector related to issues and concerns of the
newly introduced indirect tax regime - Goods and Services Tax (GST), said MSME ministry's
top bosses Thursday.
Ministry of MSME along with FICCI have organized a National
Workshop on GST and Digital MSME in New Delhi on Thursday.
Speaking on the occasion Kalraj Mishra, Union Minister for MSME said that
Ministry of MSME is giving special focus to the development of MSMEs all over the
country and to effectively implement different Schemes and Programmes. It has
also directed the banks to accelerate the pace of solving the loan related
problems of the entrepreneurs.
He also informed the gathering that by rolling out GST, cascading of taxes will
be overcome and this will significantly reduce the tax burden. Furthermore,
this will pave the way for a formal economy hence will give a fillip to growth
and employment generation. Therefore, MSMEs should see this as an opportunity
rather than a challenge.
Minister also informed that the Ministry has taken up various efforts to
popularize GST. Under office of Development Commissioner (MSME), GST cells have
been established in Headquarter office , all MSME-DIs and Tool Rooms.
NSIC has also set up a Facilitation Cell with a toll free number –
1800-111-955. Till now more than 12000 entrepreneurs have been trained for GST
by various MSME field offices and training institutes.
He reiterated that that he himself has given information on GST at Guwahati and
Agartala in North East. Minister has directed all officials to use social media
i.e. Facebook and Twitter to provide information, to publish notification and
to answer questions related to GST.
Furthermore, more than 200 Additional Secretary/ Joint Secretary level officers
have been told to monitor the implementation of GST at district level. In this
effort two Joint Secretaries of M/o MSME are involved.
Mishra informed that a special issue of Laghu Udyog Samachar has been published
by his Ministry focusing on GST. Furthermore, Secretary (MSME) has been
included in the reviewing committee the Cabinet Secretary level. Central MSME
Minister informed that along with GST, M/o MSME has taken effort to simplify
the guidelines for implementation of its various schemes.
E-initiatives have been taken in simplification of guidelines wherein PMEGP has
been made online. Online Grievance Redressal and Monitoring Systems (CPGRAMS
and IGMS) have been established. E-office and Mobile friendly website have been
initiated and 'My-MSME' Mobile App, MSME-Data Bank Portal and Digital-MSME
portal have been started.
He informed that Digital MSME Scheme has been launched to sensitize and
encourage MSMEs towards new approach i.e., Cloud computing for ICT adoption in
their production and business processes with a view to improve their
competitiveness in National and International Market.
Minister of State Giriraj Singh informed the gathering that by rolling out GST,
the Government has opened new opportunities for the hitherto unorganized rural
entrepreneurs predominantly in the micro and small segment.
Minister of State Haribhai Parthibhai mentioned that a huge parallel economy
which has been existing till now will subsequently come in the formal fold,
with the emergence of GST.
He appealed to entrepreneurs to choose their vendors judiciously so as to take
benefit of the input tax credit being offered by the new system.
Arun Kumar Panda, Secretary (MSME) welcomed all participants and put light on the
various possible problems which could be faced by the MSMEs in the new GST
regime.
He emphasized upon the utility of ICT Schemes like Digital MSME which could
help in handholding the MSME entrepreneurs. The representative of CBEC was
present in the occasion and he addressed to the common queries put forward by
MSME entrepreneurs.