MSMEs not growing due to policy deficiency: Congress MP Praveen Chakravarthy

Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu, Praveen Chakravarthy, said on August 3 that he was not allowed to speak about the MSME Amendment Bill in Parliament because he began his speech with a reference to the recent protests by students in New Delhi and across the country against the NEET paper leaks.

In a video statement, he said that although the protests were “seemingly against examination paper leaks”, they reflected the youth’s anguish and despair over their future. “Youth were gasping for jobs, incomes, and prosperity. MSMEs could be the magic jobs pill for India’s youth, providing optimism for the future,” he said, reading from his prepared speech.

“What we need is a structural and bold overhaul of the entire MSME sector. The government proudly claims India has nearly eight crore MSMEs. Then, even if on average, each employed 10 people, that should be jobs for 80 crore people. But lines outside exam halls are long, as our companies are small. Our MSMEs are stunted. They do not grow because of a policy deficiency,” he said.

The MSME firms that grow and hire more people should be rewarded with more funding and more government orders until they get big enough. “This Bill is concerned with administering smallness, not enabling growth,” he said.