Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha today inaugurated Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre (IPFC) at Jammu and Sub-Centre at Srinagar through virtual mode.
Speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor observed that the initiative is a move forward by the Government to promote awareness and adoption of Intellectual Property Rights amongst entrepreneurs and MSMEs in J&K.
Highlighting Government’s initiatives for development of economic sector in J&K, the Lt Governor said that the UT government is making untiring efforts for the promotion and growth of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises and all those associated with the sectors. Some recent steps taken by the government are sure to uplift the sectors in a short period of time.
The Economic Package announced recently and allied 83 measures have brought some respite to the industries in the region. Once announced, the Industrial Package would revolutionize the industries in here, he added.
In order to improve competitiveness of local industry post abrogation of toll tax at Lakhanpur, we are also taking 20 key steps that will not only enable the industry to become competitive, but also flourish in times to come and become more competitive not only in this region but also at the national level, said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor expressed his gratitude to the PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises for this initiative of promoting and safeguarding Intellectual Property Rights in this Union Territory. I’m sure it will encourage small businesses and increase J&K’s footprint in the global marketplace, he added.
Speaking on promoting self employment, the Lt Governor underlined the need to safeguard the innovations of entrepreneurs through Trademark and Patent laws and help them sustain in competitive global market. This facility would also help in promoting our local crafts. Both the Centres will provide help to the entrepreneurs with respect to IPR and GI Tags, he added.
The IPR Policy has a slogan- “Creative India; Innovative India” and it is our mantra to tap abundant energies and innovations in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sectors of Jammu & Kashmir, the Lt Governor maintained.
The Lt Governor stressed on the need to generate awareness among stakeholders and devise simple mechanisms to ensure that the benefits of the IPR reach start-ups, village industries and people associated with the MSMEs.
According to the 2019-20 report by the Ministry of MSME, the UT has more than 7 lakh industries which provide livelihood to around 10.88 lakh people, and 74,785 entrepreneurs of these are women, which is a good indicator on the national scale, he said.
The UT government has recently signed a MoU with Flipkart to help connect our entrepreneurs to the global market. It is our responsibility to provide handholding as well as business related IPR help to ensure their overall growth. It is for the first time that focus was laid on the Intellectual Capital of the Union Territory, the Lt Governor maintained.
He also called for providing necessary awareness and training regarding Intellectual Property Rights and its services to the stakeholders.
Speaking on the occasion, Sh. Kewal Kumar Sharma, Advisor to the Lt Governor highlighted the importance of Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre and promoting awareness among the entrepreneurs and MSMEs regarding Intellectual Property Rights.
Sh. Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, Commissioner/Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department also threw light on the significance of Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre and its impact on Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises.
Sh. Sanjay Aggarwal, President, PHDCCI delivered the welcome address.
Dr. Ranjeet Mehta, Principal Director, PHDCCI; Sh. Baldev Singh Raina, Chairman PHDCCI Kashmir; Sh. Rahul Sahai, Chairman, PHDCCI Jammu; Sh. Saurabh Sanyal, Secretary General, PHDCCI; Sh. Mushtaq Ahmad Chaya (Mentor-Kashmir) and Sh. Rakesh Wazir (Mentor-Jammu) were also present on the occasion, in person and through virtual mode.