Chennai, 10 August (H.S.) : The Centre has failed to meet public procurement targets from Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, and women-led enterprises, despite a policy mandating such purchases.
According to data from the MSME Sambandh Portal, in 2023-24, Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) made total procurements worth Rs 1,70,985.77 crore, with only Rs 1,761.78 crore (1.03%) coming from SC/ST-owned Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) and Rs 3,154.98 crore (1.85%) from women-owned MSEs.
CPM MP Su Venkatesan criticized the Centre's performance, stating that the figures reveal a significant gap between policy targets and actual implementation. The government has set a target of 4% procurement from SC/ST-owned MSEs and 3% from women-owned MSEs within the overall 25% target for MSEs. However, the actual procurement falls short, with 1.33% and 2.21% achieved in 2024-25 for SC/ST and women-owned MSEs, respectively.
The Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Shobha Karandlaje, noted that 117 CPSEs did not meet the sub-targets for SC/ST and women-owned enterprises in 2024-25. To improve compliance, measures such as real-time monitoring through the MSME Sambandh Portal, vendor development programs, and linking MSEs with the Government e-Marketplace are being implemented.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary
