The dynamic global economic scenario has thrown up various opportunities and challenges to the MSME sector in India. The entrepreneurial spirit can create a number of competitions, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) make a significant contribution to the Indian economy but the growth has been mostly in informal sector. CII and Ministry can work together to make them organised. These were observations of Mr Madhav Lal, Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Mr Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, in his special address, spoke of the approach of his company: "As car manufacturers, we have to look at development of the entire value chain, not just our car." He said Maruti Suzuki India Ltd had worked closely with cluster movement since 1996. He said it was heartening to see the work done in this by CII-AVANTHA Centre for Competitiveness for SMEs. The approach, he said was to look at and prepare for the future. "We have to look at the next 10 years and say, 'are we future ready?'"

He said Indian market has a very "bright future". "Today, India is the world's 6th largest automobile manufacturer. In next 10 years, it has the potential to be at the top. All the world's top automobile manufacturers are in India. We have to be globally competitive in cost, quality and design to succeed," said Mr Ayukawa. He referred to decline of the rupee, the state of economy and the rising cost of imports to emphasise the need for localisation and building capacity for design and development. He said the industry was going through "challenging times" and it had declined by 5% in five months. But, he said, there was need to look beyond and be ready for the good times when they come.

Mr Sanjay Labroo, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Asahi India Glass Ltd stressed the importance of manufacturing and its special relevance at a time when the economy has slowed down. "The boom is on your shop floor," he said, urging manufacturers to just listen to the customer.

The awards were given under the categories of best Case Study Competition and Kaizen Competition. In the Case study Competition out of the 206 entries received, 19 presentations were selected, of which 11 were from large sector and the rest from MSMEs under the categories total employee involvement, energy efficiency, cost competitiveness and manufacturing excellence. In the Kaizen Competition total of 491 entries were received, twice as much as last year. There were 74 from large scale units and the rest from MSMEs. Among the awarded categories, the best three were for productivity, one for quality, two for energy, three for safety and two in 'others' category.

Mr Yogesh Munjal, Chairman of National Cluster Summit, thanked the ministry and strategic partners for their ongoing support.