The secretary of the Ministry of MSME, Dinesh Rai, has recently said that the government is facing difficulties in convincing SMEs to adopt Internet and Communication Technology (ICT), terming it as a “challenge” for the government.

“ICT adoption by SMEs has increased quite a bit but it will take some more time for all SMEs in the country to start deploying it. Several SMEs still lack of awareness about the benefits of ICT, which needs to be addressed,” said NK Kharbanda, chapter chairman (Noida region) at the Indian Industries Association (IIA) to a Bizxchange correspondent.

Notably, ICT adoption by SMEs not only enhances the competitiveness of their products/services in the international market, but also helps the companies to reach out to a wider audience.

“Deployment of ICT has reduced our advertising and marketing expenses. Moreover, this tool is not very expensively priced, so it is easy on our purse too,” said Murali Mohan Raju, owner of Srimatha Agro Machinery Private Limited, a small-sized unit in Hyderabad which manufactures food processing machines.

Even as the government struggles to promote its recently launched ICT scheme among SMEs, IIA suggested the Ministry of MSME to conduct workshops around the country to educate small firms about the benefits of ICT.

Sreemita Bhattacharya