The Make in India has not helped small industries, charged Krishna Byre Gowda, the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance candidate for Bengaluru North.
He met MSME (micro small and medium enterprises) industrialists here on Sunday. Speaking to them, Byre Gowda said that the Make in India programme favours top business tycoons whereas it has neglected the MSMEs. The state of MSMEs has not improved in the last five years.
“The BJP-led Centre talks about Make in India. It is only on paper, as a mere slogan. There is no understanding on how it has favoured industrialists.”
“It is important to maintain the balance between the primary, the secondary and the tertiary sectors.”
“The development must take place in all the sectors such as industrial, and agricultural. This will result in a strengthened economic system in the country,” he added.
He further said the service sector has been growing rapidly when compared to the manufacturing sector.
Criticising the Centre, he said that it has failed to develop the garment industry, capable of creating employment opportunities on a large scale. “As a result, the opportunity has been taken by Bangladesh. Our industrialists have invested in Bangladesh.”
Demonetisation
Demonetisation too has affected the sectors. More than 35 lakh people lost their job due to demonetisation, he said.
The Congress is committed to encouraging MSMEs, he said. The party’s manifesto, too, dwells on the development of the MSME sector.
Recalling his work as the Karnataka’s representative in the GST council, Byre Gowda said that Congress leaders, had pushed him to takeup the cause of the MSME sector on GST. He promised to do his best to improve the MSME sector.
Congress manifesto
Former IIM professor and Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Gowda, who worked on the Congress manifesto, explained some of the key points from the document such as a single rate for GST and a simplified levy, rehabilitation of MSMEs for rapid job creation, increased national spend on research and development, creating patent pools and making them accessible to MSMEs.
He said the party wants to ensure that the country will move manufacturing sector to the goal of 25 per cent of GDP.