Over the last few months, The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) has been conducting a campaign to promote the MSME sector of the Indian G&J industry, with the aim of helping these units modernise, upgrade and even expand into the export sector. The two latest seminars in this series were held earlier this week in Ichalkaranji, District Kolhapur and Miraj, District Sangli in Maharashtra.

The sessions were addressed by GJEPC’s Director Head: Parichay card, Health Insurance (Swasthya Kosh) and CFC, Mithilesh Pandey and Mrunali Elle from the MSME team, as well as local officials of the government’s District Industries Centre – Sujata Desai in Ichalkaranji and Namdev Shankar Patil in Miraj.

The officials provided information about various schemes of the Government of Maharashtra, particularly the scheme under which loans of up to Rs 25 lakh could be given to small entrepreneurs at an interest rate of 6%. Further, if the loan amount is repaid fully on time, the government will extend a 50% rebate on the interest amount.

The GJEPC speakers introduced the Council and highlighted its various welfare schemes and promotional activities as well as certain government programmes for the G&J sector. These included brief presentations on the Parichay Card, Swasthya Kosh, IIJS, Interest Subvention, Lean Manufacturing Competitiveness Scheme, financial assistance towards participation in local and international exhibitions, Buyer-Seller meets, Call centre, Common Facility Centres, Cluster Development, etc. They also introduced the programmes and schemes offered by the NSIC and certain benefits that could be availed under the Prime Minsiter’s Employment Generation Yojana which offered Shishu, Kishor and Tarun loans of Rs 50,000, Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh respectively.

Both meetings were well attended by a cross section of the local jewellers and artisans.