MSMEs should adopt technology to improve efficiency: Nasscom

Report on ICT in manufacturing sector released

PTI | April 19, 2010



Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) need to adopt information and communication technology (ICT) to increase the efficiency and productivity of the sector, IT industry body Nasscom today said.

In a joint report with the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC) titled, 'A Roadmap of ICT Adoption in the Indian Manufacturing Sector', Nasscom said ICT adoption can act as a catalyst for increasing the efficiency of the manufacturing sector in the country.

"Adoption of ICT among the firms surveyed was high for basic services like finance and accounting, but was limited for a higher level of solutions, like enterprise resource planning (ERP) and manufacturing processes," Nasscom President Som Mittal told reporters here.

He added that MSMEs in India spent about one per cent of their revenues on IT, while the global average stood at about 4.5 per cent.

The recommendations in the report include documenting existing business processes at the cluster level to ensure mass adoption of ICT, skill development, developing innovative commercial and delivery models of ICT procurement and implementation and developing an ecosystem of local IT service providers.

"ICT could be the transformational catalyst to accelerate growth and make the industry globally competitive. The report recommends shared responsibilities between the government, technology companies, associations, academia and manufacturing firms," NMCC Chairman V Krishnamurthy said.

The report said Indian manufacturing firms faced challenges like a lack of internal ICT expertise and affordable solutions, small ICT budgets and complexity of adoption.

High levels of piracy, high support costs and inverted duty structure were also important aspects posing a challenge to ICT adoption, it added.

 

Comments

 

Other News

Gandhian movement after Gandhi failed: Ram Guha

The Gandhian movement in India, after Gandhi’s death, failed, says Ramachandra Guha, and blames Vinoba Bhave for it. But the movement found new, fertile grounds around the world and succeeded in bringing about a change in South Africa, the US and elsewhere. It is high time it returned home. Of cour

When religion, politics and Bollywood come together

Tavleen Singh, noted journalist and political commentator, has turned to fiction, with her debut novel ‘The Actor’ (HaperCollins India). Set in the near future, it has a superstar, Amit Singh, turning to politics, when the political landscape is dominated by prime minister Guru Gaynendraj

Cabinet approves setting up of Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority

The union cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), called Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA), to strengthen research, planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment within the broad domains of Transp

Why foundational literacy and numeracy is key to school education

Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) are often described as the building blocks of education. Yet, their significance goes well beyond a child’s ability to read a sentence, write a response or solve a basic mathematical problem. These foundational skills shape how children understand the world,

When police data becomes the algorithm

For decades, policing has followed a familiar sequence: a crime occurs, the police respond, an investigation produces records and those records become part of the institutional memory of the criminal justice system. Artificial intelligence is beginning to alter that sequence. Instead of merely recording

Before India voted, the framers worried about the referee

“We are making a Constitution forever and not only for today.” Shibban Lal Saksena said this in the Constituent Assembly on June 15, 1949. He was warning that a ruling party might one day choose a loyalist to run India’s elections. Seventy-seven years later, the Supreme Court is wrestli

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter