President Ram Nath Kovind will inaugurate a MSME summit for promoting `One district, one product’ scheme in Lucknow on August 10.
Aimed at boosting micro, small and medium enterprises, the Summit would be corollary to UP Investor’s Summit held in Lucknow in February.
The ODOP was designed to promote traditional industries and spur local economy and the scheme seeking international branding was launched on January 25 this year.
MSME and Khandi and Village Industries minister Satyadeo Pachauri said in Lucknow on Wednesday that President Ram Nath Kovind will formally inaugurate the summit on August 10 and distribute loan sanction papers worth Rs 500 crore to beneficiaries of ODOP scheme. Pachauri said that ministers in-charge of districts will also distribute loans to beneficiaries of the scheme. He said that tool kits will also be provided to entrepreneurs of cottage and handicrafts.
The minister said that beneficiaries of ODOP scheme from Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Moradabad, Agra and Kanpur will also share their experience with the President. He said that arrangements were being made for live telecast of the programme across the state which will be held at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, Lucknow.
The President will also inaugurate a three-day exhibition where one product from each district would be put on display. Pachauri said that 8 technical sessions would he organized during the Summit on subjects like handloom, textiles craft, tourism, agro and food processing, credit and finance. He said that the Summit will be the first of its kind by any state government in the country and was expected to give a big boost to MSME and handicrafts in the state.
MSME sector is the backbone of UP’s industrial landscape and contributes 60% to its annual industrial output by employing around 4 crore people and generating direct economic activity worth Rs 1.2 lakh crore annually.
The state is home to over 50 Lakh MSMEs and the sector is the second largest employer after agriculture, making it imperative for any development roadmap, especially in the backdrop of the government targeting to generate 20 lakh jobs in the next four years.
The MSME department is also pursuing investment proposals received at Investors Summit in February, so that they could translate on the ground soon. The sector had netted investment proposals worth over Rs 60,000 crore. In all, investment commitments of Rs 4.68 lakh crore were signed during the UP Investors summit.
UP is famous for product specific traditional industrial hubs across 75 districts viz. Varanasi (Banarasi silk sari), Bhadohi (carpet), Lucknow (chikan), Kanpur (leather goods), Agra (leather footwear), Aligarh (lock), Moradabad (brassware), Meerut (sports goods), Saharanpur (wooden products) etc.

www.dailypioneer.com