By Shri P. Kumar,
President, Indian Council of Small Industries (ICSI)

Respected,
Shri S.K. Bagrodia, Hon'ble Member of Parliament and Chairman, Department Related Standing Committee of Industries, Dr. (Ms.) Syeda Hameed, Member, Planning Commission, Govt. of India, Dr. Satyananda Mishra, IAS. Addl. Secretary and Development Commissioner, Ministry of Small Scale Industries (SSI), Govt. of India, Dr. P. L. Sanjeeva Reddy, (IAS Retd.), Former Secretary to Government of India, Director, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi,
Dr. C.S. Venkata Ratnam, Director, International Management Institute, New Delhi, Engineer Moyeed Roomi, representing National Association of Small & Cottage Industries, Bangladesh, nominee of representing People's Republic of Bangladesh, Mr. U. Aung Soe Win, Adviser, Ministry of Industry (2), Union of Myanmar, Mr. Dhruba Lal Rajbamshi, Director, Department of Industries, His Majesty's Government of Nepal. Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Mr. Nambukarawasam Mapalagama Gamage Lal Kumara, Secretary to the Ministry of Advance Technology and Enterprise Development Nominee of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and Mr. Keith Sumanasena, President, Sri Lanka Chamber of Small Industries. Ms. Pairin Yamachinda, Chief of Policy and Planning Section, Office of Policy and Planning, the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion, Department of Trade Negotiation, Ministry of Commerce, Thailand, Shri S. K. Verma, Director, MEA, Ministry of External Affairs. Shri R.S. Ratna, Director, Ministry of Commerce & Industries, representing India Nodal Department in BIMSTEC Co-operation on Trade and Investment, Govt. of India, Hon'ble representatives of Heads of Diplomatic Missions of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, distinguished Presidents and Secretaries, Representatives from S.S.I, Associations. Chambers of Commerce, representatives from Electronic and Prints Media and Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.

Shri P Kumar Welcoming the Guests

I will say with all sublimity that I am delighted, but not privileged, to extend my heartiest welcome to you all on behalf of Indian Council of Small Industries and on my behalf in this International Seminar. I convey with all sublimity again, our deep appreciation for participation in this Seminar, sparing some of your valuable moments to be amidst us. SSI fraternity. We are small. Sir, still we are vibrant and working for the development of economy.

Indian Council of Small Industries (ICSI) believes, contraction is dejection, expansion is delight and it is no pretence. We are much delighted to have you all in this event, first of its kind in the International arena. And this Seminar is guided to develop camaraderie with BIMSTEC countries and to explore institutional support system.

Indian Council of Small Industries (ICSI) is the largest and most representative federal body of the SSI Sector. ICSI in its humble endeavor is always taking steps to promote, project and protect the interest of the village, tiny and small industries.

In India, almost 99.5 per cent of the units are from tiny sector. And having worked under various constraints, the combined contribution of Village and Small Enterprises (VSE-) Sector in the growth of GDP is 7.9 per cent and out of which small enterprises contributes 6.7 per cent and other VSE sector 1.2 per cent while the share in industrial production is 46.5 per cent out of which small enterprises contributes
39.4 per cent and VSE sector 7.1 per cent. Now coming to the number of units, there is 118.53 lakhs unit out of which 16.8 lakhs are registered and 102.15 lakhs are unregistered units and producing approximately 8000 items out of which 506 items are reserved for exclusive production of the SSI sector and 350 items are for exclusive purchase by the Government. The Sector provides employment to 282.82 Lakh people and contributes 34 per cent of the country export.

This speaks about the performance of the SSI Sector in India and still ICSI believes that the potential of the SSI sector remains unutilized. The sector is to compete in the Global Market, with its product and services and to make the sector competitive, to find a space in the Global Market: the sector is to go through technology up gradation, modernization and developing the multi facet skill of human resources to make them adaptive.

This particular seminar has been organized to know each other in the see- saw manner, to exchange information and sharing expertise/knowledge, experience and finally to set the goal to give new dimension to the SSI/SME sector in international arena to promote mutuality of interest under free trade. When I say about mutuality, there should be reciprocity because one cannot shake hand with clinched fists.

As we all know, the world is changing fast. Along side, the economic scenario is also changing and setting new trends in world trade and business, so. Therefore, we the members of BIMSTEC country, in particular representing SSIs/SME sector, are to emerge as most competitive one so that we could excel any other countries in quality of the products, particularly against presence of the products of third country import. Situation, therefore, warrants, forgetting differences, we should be number one unitedly in the competitive market. This requires devising a modus operandi of free trade, for which I believe, negotiation is going on at highest level of BIMSTEC country and we hope, there will Se resolution soon.

We are small and I wish let the Seminar explore the possibilities, how best the sector could meet each others requirement, as if made for each- other, to promote co-operation in operating the free trade without an} impediment. And this honest endeavor will prove to be common bond under FTA through the instrumentalities of SSIs/SME sector of BIMSTEC country.

ICSI believes in pro-active approach in each and every stage of interaction in business process development. Indian Council of Small Industries (ICSI) believes in expansion and also believes that emergence is also expansion with love, care, respect, mutuality and reciprocity, and without which there cannot be any bond. With these few words, I once again convey my thanks to all the participants to make this Seminar meaningful and purposive.