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COSIA unhappy with Centre’s decision

PANAJI: The Chamber of Small Industries Association (COSIA) on Friday expressed displeasure over the decision of the Union Government to have a Minister of State (independent charge) for the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector instead of a Cabinet Minister.

In a press release issued here, M.R. Khambete, president of COSIA, said: “It is unfortunate that the SME sector henceforth will have a Minister of State (independent charge) in the Union Ministry when nearly 93 per cent of industries in India are SME units giving employment to 3 crore people and having a contribution of 40 per cent in exports. It has 8 per cent share in GDP.”

He said that since Independence a special recognition was awarded to this sector and a full-fledge Cabinet Minister was in-charge of the affairs of the Ministry. “In a way the importance of this sector is being diluted which may affect the growth of this sector, particularly during the difficult days of financial crisis,” Mr. Khambete said.

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COSIA unhappy with Centre’s decision

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