CII’s Digital Saksham Initiative Drives Digital Revolution In Karnataka’s MSMEs
02 Dec 2024, Karnataka: The Digital Saksham Project has achieved a significant milestone in Karnataka’s MSME sector digitalization journey. The ambitious project of the Confederation of Indian Industry in partnership with Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth is a groundbreaking initiative that has successfully reached 36,874 MSMEs across Mysuru, Tumkur & Bengaluru, with 6,143 businesses completing comprehensive digital training and 4,328 enterprises actively implementing digital solutions.
Mr. M Ponnuswami, Co-Chairman, CII National MSME Council, highlighted the program’s impact: “Digital Saksham Project has emerged as a game-changer for Karnataka’s MSME ecosystem. The enthusiastic adoption by local businesses reflects their readiness to embrace digital transformation. Our collaboration with Mastercard Centre for Inclusive Growth targets 300,000 MSMEs across 55 cities in eight states over three years. In Karnataka, we’re specifically focused on facilitating digital payment adoption, streamlining Udyam registrations, simplifying tax e-filing processes, enabling website development, and expanding digital trade horizons. A key milestone achieved is that micro-enterprises enrolled under the Digital Saksham Project are now selling their products on the GeM Portal.”
The program’s transformative impact is exemplified through remarkable success stories. In Mysuru, Mrs. Kavya Kumar, a 34-year-old widow, revolutionized her small business through Digital Saksham‘s interventions. By adopting digital payments and leveraging social media platforms, she accessed vital government schemes through UDYAM registration, marking a significant turnaround in her business operations.
Similarly, Mrs. Netra Nandesh from Tumkur District exemplifies entrepreneurial evolution. Starting with a modest general store, she utilized Digital Saksham‘s support to establish an Areca leaf plate manufacturing unit. The program facilitated her PMEGP scheme acquisition and Udyam registration, enabling her to create employment opportunities for local women while building a robust digital presence.
The initiative continues to serve as a vital bridge between Karnataka’s micro-enterprises and digital opportunities, facilitating access to state schemes and platforms like GeM. Special trainings are given to beneficiaries on how the product is uploaded on the portal. This digital transformation journey marks a significant step towards building a more resilient and technologically advanced MSME sector in Karnataka.
