Mysuru region poised for drastic industrial change, says MP Pratap Simha  

Mysore/Mysuru: The Mysuru Chapter (Mysuru Vibhag) of Laghu Udyog Bharati (LUB), a registered national-level organisation for Micro and Small Industries, was inaugurated and its office-bearers were installed at an event at a private hotel in city on Sunday.

The LUB will work towards implementing various schemes of the Central Government for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Many industries in the district will fall under the micro enterprises category, following the change in definition of MSMEs. LUB will work with these industries towards their upliftment. 

The LUB represents Micro and Small Industries or MSIs, working in 465 districts across the country. It is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).The Mysuru Unit comprises districts of Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar and Kodagu. 

Inaugurating the Mysuru Chapter, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha said that the industrial scene of Mysuru is poised for a drastic change with Multi-Modal Logistics Park (Inland Container Yard) being constructed at Kadakola by Container Corporation of India. 

“When I took over as MP, the Mysore Airport at Mandakalli was an abandoned land and now every day seven flights take off and land there. Connectivity was a big issue though Mysuru was a seat of learning and there were no jobs. The Airport, double-tracking of Mysuru-

Bengaluru Railway track, 10-lane Expressway between Mysuru and Bengaluru and, Inland Container Yard and plans of satellite terminal at Naganahalli will boost the job sector,” he said. 

In addition to the existing National Highway-275 from Bengaluru to Bantwal, another new aligned 4-lane Highway project between Mysuru and Kushalnagar in Kodagu has been cleared and the works will begin in the next couple of months, Pratap Simha said and claimed that the Narendra Modi Government has sanctioned more than Rs. 16,000 crore for various projects that directly benefits Mysuru. 

“Even the 43-km Outer Ring Road of Mysuru has been classified as National Highway and Rs. 161 crore has recently been released by the Centre. Before 1998, there was no concept of a Highway in India and there were only considerably broad roads. It was Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government that launched and implemented the Golden Quadrilateral Highway Project — connecting the four major metro cities of India, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai — and this is the biggest Highway project India has ever seen,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, former MLC and BJP leader Ganesh Karnik said that every project launched, propagated and implemented by PM Narendra Modi was filled with the idea of ‘Aatmanirbharta’ and the ideas are practically realised after the projects are implemented. “There is not just an idea of ‘Aatmanirbharta’ but extensive research has gone into the concept that makes India self-reliant instead of depending on other nations,” he opined. 

On the occasion, the following were announced as office-bearers of Mysuru Vibhag of Laghu Udyog Bharati: Mahesh Shenoy – President, B.S. Prashanth – Vice-President, Rajappa – Secretary, Deepak, M. Aiyappa and Neela Ramakrishna – Executive Committee Members. 

Managing Director of Skanray Technologies Vishwaprasad Alva, CSIR – Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) Director Dr. Sridevi A. Singh, alumnus of IIT Kharagpur Sukumar Rangachari, Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology – Thanjavoor Director Dr. Anand Ramakrishnan, LUB State President Srikantadatta and others were present.  

‘CFTRI has transferred more than 400 technologies to industries’

Public sector Science and Technology Institutes have been functioning in their own limited fields without being of much help to Small and Medium Scale Industries. They are only focussed on research away from public benefit. These were the words of alumnus of IIT Kharagpur Sukumar Rangachari, who is the mentor at Nadathur S. Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL). 

For the record, NSRCEL offers its support to various players of the start-up ecosystem. NSRCEL brings together start-ups, industry mentors, and eminent academicians from its parent institution Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and researchers who thrive on continuous interaction of theory and practice.

Responding to Sukumar Rangachari, CFTRI Director Dr. Sridevi A. Singh said that CFTRI always strived to help Small and Medium Industries. “Your statement may be true to some extent but not entirely true. Our CFTRI for example, despite facing a staff crunch, undertakes many public-connecting programmes and transfers technology to many industries. We have helped more than 400 Small and Medium Industries through food technological transfers,” she said. 

Sukumar Rangachari felt the need of opening research to public. “Research-focussed activities at Public sector Science and Technology Institutes may restrict them in helping industries. Such industries must have a dedicated unit for this purpose,” he said.