A review meeting of the General Managers of District Industries Centres (DICs) was held today at the O-Hub in Bhubaneswar to assess the implementation and progress of various schemes under the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Department.
Chaired by Minister for MSME, Fisheries, and Animal Resources Development, Gokulananda Mallick, the meeting focused on strengthening entrepreneurship, with a special emphasis on empowering women entrepreneurs.
During the session, Minister Mallick reviewed the performance of various schemes and institutions under the MSME Department. He urged officials to make concerted efforts to involve more women in entrepreneurial activities, highlighting that women-led entrepreneurship is the need of the hour. Noting that Odisha ranks 13th in the country for women-led MSMEs, the Minister called for improved performance to position the state among the top performers in the coming years.
The meeting also included a detailed review of people-centric programs by the Government of India, such as PMEGP, PMFME, and PM-Vishwakarma, along with financial and non-financial incentives provided under various Odisha government policies, including CM-SHRI. General Managers presented district-level challenges faced during scheme implementation, which were addressed to ensure smoother execution.
Key attendees included Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the MSME Department, D. Prasanth Kumar Reddy, Director of Export Promotion and Marketing, Sanjay Kumar Mishra, Special Secretary Mahesh Kumar Choudhury, Additional Director of Industries Prabhu Prasad Choudhury, and General Manager of DIC, Samuchita Mallik, among others.
The review meeting underscored Odisha’s commitment to fostering inclusive economic growth through entrepreneurship, particularly by empowering women to lead the charge in the MSME sector.