National Small Industries Corporation Ltd.
(A Government of India Enterprise)
Facilitating the Growth of Small Enterprise since 1955
Marketing Assistance Scheme
Background:
The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector has emerged as a highly vibrant and dynamic sector of the Indian economy over the last five decades. MSMEs not only play crucial role in providing large employment opportunities at comparatively lower capital cost than large industries but also help in industrialization of rural & backward areas, thereby, reducing regional imbalances, assuring more equitable distribution of national income and wealth. MSMEs are complementary to large industries as ancillary units and contribute enormously to the socio-economic development of the country
Fast changing global economic scenario has thrown up various opportunities and challenges to the MSMEs in India. While on the one hand, many opportunities are opened up for this sector to enhance productivity and look for new markets at national and international level, it has also, on the other hand, put an obligation to upgrade their competencies to meet the competition as new products are launched at an astonishing pace and are available world wide in short time. Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises do not have any strategic tools / means for their business/ market development as available with large industries. In the present competitive age, Marketing is one of the weakest areas wherein MSMEs face major problems.
MARKETING ASSISTANCE SCHEME:
Marketing, a strategic tool for business development, is critical for the growth and survival of micro, small & medium enterprises. Marketing is the most important factor for the success of any enterprise. Large enterprises have enough resources at their command to hire manpower to take care of marketing of their products and services. MSME sector does not have these resources at their command and thus needs institutional support for providing these inputs in the area of marketing.
Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, inter-alia, through National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), a Public Sector Enterprise of the Ministry, has been providing marketing support to Micro & Small Enterprises (MSEs) under Marketing Assistance Scheme.
Emergence of a large and diverse services sector in the past years had created a situation in which it was no longer enough to address the concerns of the Micro & Small Enterprises (MSE) erstwhile known as Small Scale Industries (SSI) alone but essential to include the entire gamut of enterprises, covering both SSI Sector and related service entities, in a seamless web. There was a need to provide space for the small enterprises to grow into medium scale enterprises, for that is how they will be able to adopt better and higher levels of technology and remain competitive in a fast globalizing world. Thus, as in most developed and developing countries, it was necessary that in India too, the concerns of the entire range of enterprises – micro, small and medium, were addressed and the sector was provided with a single legal framework. The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act, 2006 addresses these issues and also other issues relating to credit, marketing, technology upgradation etc concerning the micro, small and medium enterprises. The enactment of MSMED Act 2006, w.e.f. from 2nd October, 2006 has brought medium scale industries and service related enterprises also under the purview of this Ministry.
The need of the hour presently is to provide sustenance and support to the whole MSME sector (including service sector), with special emphasis on rural and micro enterprises, through suitable measures to strengthen them for converting the challenges into opportunities and scaling new heights. Thus although the medium enterprises have also been included as the target beneficiaries under the scheme, special attention would be given to marketing of products and services of micro and small enterprises, in rural as well as urban areas.