Procurement policy needs robust implementation mechanism: Selja

With dalit and tribal entrepreneurs gaining little even after a new public procurement policy put in place last year mandating at least four percent sourcing to be done from firms owned by scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) business owners, social justice and empowerment minister Selja has now sought a "robust institutional mechanism" to operationalise the policy.

Selja on Wednesday wrote to her cabinet colleague KH Muniappa, who holds independent charge of the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) saying that such a mechanism would help in enabling dalit and tribal entrepreneurs to take advantage of the new policy.

"The institutional mechanism may have the representation of MSME, respective line ministries, chamber of commerce's and ministry of social justice and empowerment," she said in her letter.

The new procurement policy allows flexibility in the 20 percent target for the current financial year, though all central ministries and departments were supposed to set an annual goal for procurement from MSEs.

Selja writes to FM for tax breaks

Minister for social justice and empowerment, Kumari Selja has written to finance minister P Chidambaram asking for a slew of income tax, service tax and VAT exemptions for people with disabilities and organisations working with them, in the upcoming Budget.

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