The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India, organised a cluster-level workshop on Cost and Competitiveness at the MIDC Industries Association (MIA), Hingna Road, Nagpur. The event witnessed active participation from industry representatives across key clusters including general engineering, agro processing, and textile and garment sectors. The workshop was inaugurated by Rukmani Attri, Joint Development Commissioner, Ministry of MSME, New Delhi, in the presence of Dr V R Sirsath, Joint Director, MSME Development & Facilitation Office, Nagpur; Shivkumar Muddamwar, Joint Director of Industries; Vijay Dange, Joint Commissioner, State Tax; Priyanka Gaikwad, DGM, SIDBI; and Hema Deshpande, Regional Officer, MPCB. In her address, Rukmani Attri highlighted the Ministry’s continuous efforts to strengthen MSME competitiveness through policy interventions, cluster development, and cost optimization measures.

 

Dr V R Sirsath, in his technical presentation, explained the various factors influencing manufacturing costs — such as raw material procurement, energy efficiency, manpower productivity, logistics, and compliance costs. Alok Pohne, President, Laghu Udyog Bharati, presented the concerns of the General Engineering Cluster, particularly the rising input costs and working capital constraints. Pravin Wankhade and Vaishali Samarth spoke about the Turmeric and Chilli Agro Processing Cluster, emphasizing the need for better storage and processing infrastructure to reduce wastage and enhance value addition. P Mohan, President, MIDC Industries Association, and TEAM MIA played a key role in facilitating and coordinating the event.