CII, JICA join hands to launch programme to help SMEs

To help the SMEs boost productivity, the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in collaboration with Japan International Cooperative Agency (JICA) would launch a special programme called Visionary Udyog Mitra Mandal (VLMi).

In order to help the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) boost productivity, the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in collaboration with Japan International Cooperative Agency (JICA) would launch a special programme called Visionary Udyog Mitra Mandal (VLMi), which would see the CII and Talegaon Dabhade-based Nutam Maharashtra Institute of Engineering and Technology (NMIET) collaborating in training the sector.

Speaking to the media in Pune on Thursday, Chandrakant Patel, mentor, VLMi, said that back in 2009, JICA expert Padmashree Shoji Shiba had launched a programme in partnership with CII aimed at the automotive sector.

“The programme was the result of former president APJ Abdul Kalam’s visit to Japan and inviting Shiba to help in increasing and improving the competitiveness of SMEs. JICA and CII had entered into a partnership to launch the programme which was aimed at the automotive sector due to the tiered structure of the industry,” Patel said.

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Patel, who is also a trustee of the Anand Group of Industries, said that since 2009, around 788 companies have implemented it. This includes 572 companies of the Anand Group itself.

“Other than increase in productivity, the programme also helps in optimising space for companies there by cutting down on needless investments,” he said.

Other than companies in the Anand Group, Sona, TVS, Lucas TVS, Kirloskar Brothers and Tata Motors are some other companies which have implemented the programme. The VLMi programme would see the faculty of NMIET being trained, who in turn, would train the batch of SMEs in the area.

The college would also be offering the subject as an elective for its final year engineering students. The programme is also aimed to be rolled out in other cities like Belgavi, Dharwad and Hosur in the years to come.

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