Advisor Skandan chairs 89th SICOP BoD meet, seeks establishment of CFCs for improvement of goods, services

Srinagar: To create ecosystems for competitive goods and services, Advisor to Governor K Skandan Wednesday urged J&K Small Scale Industries Development Corporation Limited (SICOP) to upgrade its existing infrastructure like establishing Common Facility Centres (CFCs) at Industrial Estates.
The Advisor stated this while speaking at the 89th Board of Directors (BoD) meet of SICOP here.
The meeting was attended by Financial Commissioner, Finance Department, Arun Kumar Mehta, Principal Secretary, Industries & Commerce Department, Navin K. Choudhary, Managing Director, SICOP, Atul Sharma, Director, Industries & Commerce Department, Jammu Anoo Malhotra, Director, Industries & Commerce Department, Kashmir, Mahmood Ahmad Shah, representatives of MSME, Government of India, President, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Sheikh Ashiq Ahmad, President, Federation Chamber of Industries Kashmir, Muhammad Ashraf Mir and other concerned officials.
The Advisor said upgradation of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMes) is need of the hour to cope with the growing developments of industrial sector, adding the SICOP should come with a support system for clusters at its industrial estates.
He said SICOP would be a nodal agency to provide facilities to the small-scale industries so that they will prosper in their businesses.
The meeting was informed that at present SICOP is managing 58 Industrial Estates including 43 Industrial Estates previously managed by DICs and transferred to SICOP in 2017.
It was also given out that during the fiscal year 2018-19, 6111 tests were conducted while as during the FY 2019-20 (1st quarter), 970 tests were conducted at its three testing centers in three divisions of the State.
The meeting was further informed that SICOP management has formulated DPR through J&K Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation (J&K ITCO) for up-gradation and acquiring the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accreditation as per Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for Testing Centre Gangyal Jammu. The meeting was also told the Corporation would upgrade the Testing Centre at Zainakote, Srinagar and Leh, Ladakh on the similar lines in the next financial year.
The meeting was also informed about the business plan for Financial Year 2019-20 and new innovative measures like modernization of testing centre, appointment of J&K SICOP as Bitumen Business Development Associate of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOC) and Land Bank for identification of state land suitable for industrial purposes.
The meeting was also told that in order to expand business and match quality of industrial products at national level, the Material Testing labs of SICOP need to be upgraded and accredited with NABL and should also be registered with BIS.
It was also given out in the meeting that the State Industrial Policy-2016 envisages to attract an investment of Rs 20,000 crore in the industrial sector over a period of 10 years.
The Advisor was informed about the demand of the identification of additional industrial items for purchase from Small Scale Industrial (SSI) Units through SICOP. It was also informed that there is persistent demand from the local industry that more industrial products be brought under the ambit of reserved list keeping in view their demand with the Government departments, besides it will ensure sustenance of these units and will also create more employment opportunities in the State.