Cluster mapping to solve MSME migration issue

A study by Grant Thornton Bharat and SIDBI said the ground-level challenges faced by MSMEs and has undertaken rapid profiling of 11 states to facilitate policymakers & other stakeholders to help these migrant workers for setting up their own enterprises/livelihood options. Among other things, the report suggests cluster mapping, and a major cluster-based skill development approach to deal with the challenge of reverse migration of migrant workers for MSMEs, which emerged during the Covid pandemic. It also stressed on digitisation of financial and non-financial services, setting up of digital platforms to provide access to e-business services for existing enterprises, involvement of technical institutions as solution centres.

“Enhanced competitiveness, progressive strengthening and rapid transformation of the ecosystem are expected to help multiply the contribution of the MSME sector. For India to emerge as a global value chain leader, strengthening of the enterprise value chain is essential,” Sivasubramanian Ramann, Chairman and managing director of SIDBI stated.  “Likewise, a report by the Delhi Transport Department suggested that over eight lakh migrant workers left the national capital in the first four weeks of the lockdown imposed in the second wave of the pandemic. In Rajasthan, more than 58 lakh migrant workers have been affected,” it said.