MSMEs need to become more proactive: Consumer affairs secretary

NEW DELHI: Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare on Wednesday asked MSMEs to comply with voluntary as well as mandatory quality standards while manufacturing products and urged them to be more proactive in sharing problems and seeking solutions.

Addressing a conference here, she noted that India is poised to become the third largest economy in the world, and that the MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) will have a major role to play in achieving this.

The secretary said MSMEs need to be more proactive in sharing their problems and asked the industry to demand new standards as well as participate in formulation of these quality norms.

She highlighted that the government in the past few years have taken various steps to ensure that people get quality products. Recently, Rs 78 crore was approved to strengthen existing testing labs and set up new ones.

"Ultimately, any nation which grows has to ensure credibility of its goods and services. There cannot be any abstinence, or there cannot be any free passes to the concern of quality," Khare said.