Marketing

Assistance
Scheme

Government of India
Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
(An ISO 9001:2008 Certified Organisation)
 Marketing
Assistance
Scheme

KALRAJ MISHRA
Minister of
Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
Government of India
New Delhi

GIRIRAJ SINGH
Minister of State for
Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
Government of India
New Delhi

Government of India
Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
(An ISO 9001:2008 Certified Organisation)
Introduction
The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector

Marketing Assistance Scheme

has emerged as a highly vibrant and dynamic sector of the
Indian economy over the last five decades. MSMEs not only
play crucial role in providing large employment opportunities
at comparatively lower capital cost than large industries
but also help in industrialization of rural & backward areas,
thereby, reducing regional imbalances, assuring more
equitable distribution of national income and wealth. MSMEs
are complementary to large industries as ancillary units and
contribute enormously to the socio-economic development of
the country.

Fast changing global economic scenario has thrown up various

opportunities and challenges to the MSMEs in India. While
on the one hand, many opportunities are opened up for this
sector to enhance productivity and look for new markets at
national and international level, it has also, on the other hand,
put an obligation to upgrade their competencies to meet the
competition as new products are launched at an astonishing
pace and are available worldwide in short time. Micro, Small
& Medium Enterprises do not have any strategic tools / means
for their business/ market development as available with large
industries. In the present competitive age, Marketing is one of
the weakest areas wherein MSMEs face major problems.

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 Marketing, a strategic tool for business development, is is how they will be able to adopt better and higher levels of
critical for the growth and survival of micro, small & medium technology and remain competitive in a fast globalizing world.
enterprises. Marketing is the most important factor for the Thus, as in most developed and developing countries, it was
success of any enterprise. Large enterprises have enough necessary that in India too, the concerns of the entire range of

Marketing Assistance Scheme

resources at their command to enterprises – micro, small and medium, were addressed and
hire manpower to take care of the sector was provided with a single legal framework. The
marketing of their products Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED)
and services. MSME sector Act, 2006 addresses these issues and also other issues relating
does not have these resources to credit, marketing, technology upgradation etc concerning
at their command and thus needs the micro, small and medium enterprises. The enactment of
institutional support for providing these inputs in the area of MSMED Act 2006, w.e.f. from 2nd October, 2006 has brought
marketing. medium scale industries and service related enterprises also
under the purview of this Ministry.
Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, inter-alia,
through National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), a Public The need of the hour presently is to provide sustenance and
Marketing Assistance Scheme

Sector Enterprise of the Ministry, has been providing marketing support to the whole MSME sector (including service sector),
support to Micro & Small Enterprises (MSEs) under Marketing with special emphasis on rural and micro enterprises, through
Assistance Scheme. suitable measures to strengthen them for converting the
challenges into opportunities and scaling
Emergence of a large and diverse services sector in the past new heights. Thus although the medium
years had created a situation in which it was no longer enough enterprises have also been included
to address the concerns of the micro & small enterprises as the target beneficiaries under the
(MSE) erstwhile known as small scale industries (SSI) alone scheme, special attention would be
but essential to include the entire gamut of enterprises, given to marketing of products and
covering both MSE Sector and related service entities, in a services of micro and small enterprises, in
seamless web. There was a need to provide space for the small rural as well as urban areas.
enterprises to grow into medium scale enterprises, for that
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 Objective Strategy
The broad objectives of the scheme, inter-alia, include: To achieve the objectives of the scheme, the various activities are

Marketing Assistance Scheme

undertaken like:

s&
g c a p abilitie 1 Organizing International Technology Exhibitions in Foreign
arketin SMEs.
o e n h ance m f the M Countries by NSIC and participation in International
T e s s o
titiven
compe Exhibitions/Trade Fairs with a view to providing broader
MEs. exposure to Indian micro, small & medium enterprises to
t e n c ie s of MS
p e
the com facilitate them in exploring new business opportunities in
To s h owcase
 emerging and developing markets. These exhibitions are
s
et sce nario and it
u t th e p revalent mark organised in consultation with the concerned stakeholders
o
MSMEs ab
 To update es.
and industry associations etc. The calendar for these events
their activiti
impact on are finalized well in advance and publicized widely amongst
all participants/stakeholders. The calendar of events is also
Es for marketing of
 To facilitate the formation of consortia of MSM
Marketing Assistance Scheme

displayed on the Web-site of NSIC. Such expositions showcase

their products and services. the diverse technologies, products and services produced/
rendered by Indian MSMEs and provide them with excellent
 To provide platform to MS
MEs for interaction with larg business opportunities, besides promoting trade, establishing
institutional buyers. e
joint ventures, technology transfers, marketing arrangements
 To dissem and image building of Indian MSMEs in foreign countries. In
inate/ prop
the Govern agate vario addition to the organisation of the international exhibitions,
ment. us program
mes of
NSIC also facilitate participation of Indian MSMEs in the select
 To enr
ich the m international exhibitions and trade fairs. Participation in such
small & m arketing
skills of th events exposes MSMEs to international practices and enhances
edium en e micro,
treprene their business prowess. These events provide a platform to
urs.
MSMEs where they meet, discuss, and conclude agreements on
technical and business collaborations.
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 and other institutions, all over the country to exhibit their
products and services. These exhibitions are organised in
consultation with the concerned stakeholders and industry
associations etc. Participation in such events is expected

Marketing Assistance Scheme

to help the MSMEs in enhancing their marketing avenues
by way of capturing new markets and expanding existing
markets. This would also help them in becoming ancillaries,
partners in joint ventures and sub-contracting for large
companies.

3 NSIC has been organising “Techmart” exhibition every year

during India International Trade Fair (IITF) in the month of
November. This is an international exhibition showcasing
the best MSME products, technologies and services of India.
2 Organizing theme based domestic exhibitions / technology Minimum upto 30% of the total area may normally allocated
Marketing Assistance Scheme

fairs etc. and participation in Exhibitions/ Trade Fairs in India for the entrepreneurs belonging to the Special Category
in order to provide marketing opportunities to MSMEs within i.e. Entrepreneurs belonging to NE Region/ Women / SC/ST
the country, with focus on products and services offered by category. The subsidy is available on space charges for the
MSMEs, including technologies suitable for employment special category MSMEs.
generation, products from specific regions or clusters (like
North Eastern Region, Food processing, Machine-tools,
Electronics, Leather etc). Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
is provided space at concessional rates to exhibit their
products and services in such exhibitions/fairs. Apart from
above NSIC also facilitate participation of MSMEs in the
exhibitions / trade fairs / events being organized by various
State Government departments, industry associations
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 4 Support for Co-sponsoring of Exhibitions organized by other 6 Intensive Campaigns and Marketing Promotion Events are
organizations/ industry associations/agencies is provided to conducted all over the country to disseminate information
various institutions, industry associations and organizations about the various schemes for the benefit of the micro, small
engaged in promotion & development of MSMEs, for & medium enterprises. They are also facilitated to enrich

Marketing Assistance Scheme

organizing exhibitions/ fairs within the country their knowledge regarding latest developments; quality
for the benefit of MSME sector. This support standards etc. and improve the marketing potential of their
is provided in the form of co-sponsoring of products and services.
the event by NSIC. In order to apply for co-
sponsoring of an event by NSIC, the applicant 7 Other than above, certain activities are undertaken
organization/agency has to fulfill certain for supporting the marketing efforts of MSMEs like (a)
criteria/conditions. development of Display Centres, Show windows and
hoarding etc. for promoting products and services of MSMEs,
5 Buyers-Sellers Meets are organized to bring bulk buyers / (b) printing of Literature, Brochures and Product-specific
Government departments and micro, small & medium Catalogues and CDs etc. and preparation of short films
enterprises together at one platform. Bulk and departmental for disseminating information (c) development of website/
Marketing Assistance Scheme

buyers such as the Railways, Defence, Communication portal for facilitating the marketing of MSME products and
departments and large companies are invited to participate services (d) development and dissemination of Advertising
in buyer-seller meets to bring them closer to the MSMEs and Publicity material about various programmes/
for enhancing their marketing competitiveness. These schemes for MSME sectors and events (e) preparation and
programmes are aimed at vendor developments from micro, Upgradation of MSME Manufacturers/ Suppliers/
small & medium enterprises for the bulk manufactures. Exporters Directory (f) Documentation
Participation in these programmes enables MSMEs to know the of the success stories of MSMEs (g)
requirements of bulk buyers on the one hand and help the bulk conducting studies to explore and assess
buyers to know the capabilities of MSMEs for their purchases. new markets/businesses and product
These Buyers-Seller Meets are organized in consultation with ranges for both domestic & International
the concerned stakeholders, including industry associations and markets (h) Hosting international delegations
other agencies involved in industrial development. and networking events.
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 Target Group  Enrichment of the marketing skills of the micro, small &
medium entrepreneurs.
 Financial assistance by way of providing subsidy on space
Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) (both
rent, airfare & freight charges.

Marketing Assistance Scheme

manufacturing and service sector), with special emphasis on
 Exposure to international best practices and latest
rural and micro enterprises, across the country.
technology and global buyers
Benefits  Export opportunities and Business expansion
 Adoption of latest technology and Networking opportunities
 Enhanced marketing capabilities & competitiveness of the
MSMEs.
 Platform to showcase the competencies of MSMEs.
 Exposure to prevalent market scenario and its impact on
their activities.
 Encouraging formation of consortia of MSMEs for marketing
of their products and services.
Interventions
Marketing Assistance Scheme

 Platform to MSMEs for interaction with large institutional

buyers. The Entrepreneurs can easily approach with minimum
 Getting apprised about various programmes of the documentation and avail the benefits in the shortest time
Government. possible.

Implementation Strategy
By sensitizing units about the scheme by insertion of
impending events in NSIC website in advance, through mailers,
advertisement in various medium and in trade directories /
magazines and regular interaction with various stakeholders
and associations etc.
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 Procedure for availing of financial
assistance under the scheme

Marketing Assistance Scheme

The applications/proposals for seeking assistance under the
scheme shall be submitted directly to NSIC, with full details and
justification. The consolidated proposal shall be put up before
the Screening Committee, set up under para 6 of the scheme,
for consideration. The Screening Committee shall examine
and consider the proposals, keeping in view the eligibility
conditions and other criteria laid down under the scheme.
Achievements
While processing the proposals preference shall be given to NSIC has facilitated participation of around 716 MSMEs
participants/units who have not availed of the benefits under by organizing 8 International Level Exhibitions i.e (a) India
this scheme or other such schemes of the Ministry earlier. Manufacturing Show 2014, Bangalore (Karnataka); (b) Techmart
The proposals, after processing by the Screening Committee, India 2014, New Delhi (Inaugurated by Hon’ble Union Minister
shall be put up for approval by the Chairman-cum-Managing for MSMEs); (c) Imphal Expo 2014, Imphal (Manipur); (d) 2nd
Marketing Assistance Scheme

Director of NSIC alongwith its recommendations. The Edition of Soumex 2014, Chennai (Tamil Nadu); (e) 7th Vibrant
proposals requiring approval of the Administrative Ministry Gujarat, Gandhi Nagar (Gujarat); (f) DICCI Industrial & Trade
shall be forwarded by CMD, NSIC, with proper Expo, 2015 Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh); (g) International
justification, for consideration and approval of the Trade Fair, Guwahati (Assam- Inaugurated by Hon’ble Union
Ministry, in consultation with IFD. The assistance Minister for MSMEs)); and (i) Shillong International Trade Fair,
shall be released by NSIC to the concerned Shillong (Meghalaya).
applicant organization on reimbursement basis
on receipt of the event report and other 1235 MSMEs from across the country were also facilitated
prescribed documents, including feedback from for participation in 117 domestic exhibitions held at various
the participants. part of country. In addition, 167 MSMEs were supported to
exhibit their products in 12 foreign exhibitions held in the

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 countries like USA, Israel, Kenya, Dubai South Africa, Japan,
Sri Lanka, Slovenia, Korea, Turkey, Russia and Chile. 12 Buyer-

Udyami Helpline
Seller meets and 635 Marketing Workshop/Campaign were
conducted during the year for supporting marketing efforts of
1800 - 180 - 6763
1800 - 180 - MSME Toll Free
MSME.

Way Forward Information about

MARKETING ASSISTANCE
The scheme has been successful to a large extent in achieving
its objectives by promoting the marketing efforts of micro & CREDIT SUPPORT
small enterprises. To further improve the implementation of CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT
the scheme, it is desirable to increase the number of events in
TECHNOLOGY UPGRADATION
the effective participation from bulk buyers both government
as well as abroad, increase the number of buyer seller meets SKILL DEVELOPMENT
with effective participation from bulk buyer both government SETTING UP ENTERPRISE
Marketing Assistance Scheme

as well as private, increase the participation of MSMEs in

SCHEMES OF MINISTRY OF MSME
international exhibitions to improve export orders and market
share, participate / organize technology fairs in a sector specific Udyami Helpline to provide assistance and guidance to prospective
manner etc. as well as existing entrepreneurs about opportunities and facilities
available under various schemes of the Government.

Udyami Helpline 1800-180-6763 (Toll Free)

Timings : 6.00 to 10.00 p.m. in Hindi / English
We welcome all entrepreneurs to avail this facility.

MINISTRY OF MICRO, SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
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www.msme.gov.in www.dcmsme.gov.in