MSMEs complain of step motherly treatment from Centre, TN

RANIPET: The lack of efforts by both the Central and state governments to arrest the rising prices of raw materials has disappointed the MSME units in Ranipet Industrial Estate.

Complaining of step-motherly treatment by both the governments, sources from MSME industries say, “The price of copper after the closure of Sterlite unit in Thoothukudi has gone north. The current price of copper is around Rs 1.30 lakh per tonne compared to the Rs 75,000 earlier.”

Ranipet Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association secretary L Gandhijothi said, “with hike in the power tariff for HT industries by the state most of the units are now functioning with our backs to the wall.”

“It is always the industry which has to bear the brunt of upward revision of prices when the government wants to provide sops to other non-industrial sectors,” he added.

Though rules were amended some years ago to stipulate that government officials should inspect small units only at random and that too only after first informing them, this is followed more in the breach today. Government officials visit us at will and citing some reason they ask for payment, said an entrepreneur refusing to reveal his identity.

“What is galling is that while big industrial units have powerful associations to fight their cause with the Centre and state governments, the MSME units lack such a forum resulting in their becoming the proverbial whipping boy for government departments,” one of the entrepreneurs said.

Though the state level tiny and small scale industries association plans to agitate in the districts on such issues, some members expressed reservations about the move as the common feeling was that while nothing might be gained out of such moves, which would certainly incur the wrath of the powers that be.