Jammu: Rahul Sahai, Chair of PHDCCI Jammu, along with Ashish Jain and Raj Dua, Co-Chairs, attended a town hall meeting organized by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for entrepreneurs in Reasi district.
The meeting focused on funding issues faced by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Presentations on Trade Receivables Discounting System (Treds) and SIDBI schemes were delivered by respective agency heads.
Sahai emphasized the need for more buyers on the Treds platform to make it more effective in J&K. He highlighted the benefits of Treds for Udyam-registered MSMEs, including bill discounting and resolving fund blockage issues.
Sahai discussed funding challenges with senior RBI officials, urging them to enhance risk-taking capacity at the branch manager level and ensure timely case resolution to improve MSME funding.
The meeting also explored opportunities in the upcoming lithium-based industry in Reasi. Industry Department officials, Arun Manhas (Director, Industries Jammu) and G. Velladurai (MSME DFO Jammu), presented on the topic. Sahai emphasized the potential of lithium to be a game-changer for Reasi and urged both departments to encourage MSMEs to participate in the lithium industry.
Following Sahai’s address, Kamal Patnaik, Regional Director of RBI Jammu & Kashmir & Ladakh, invited representatives of prominent banks like PNB and SBI to address the concerns raised by PHDCCI Jammu. Both banks assured the audience of their efforts to improve risk-taking capacity and streamline case processing. They encouraged entrepreneurs facing difficulties to approach them directly.
Over 100 MSMEs from Reasi district attended the meeting, alongside senior officials including Kamal Patnaik (RBI Regional Director), Sandeep Mittal (RBI GM), Arun Kumar Manas (Director, Industries Jammu), G. Velladurai (MSME DFO Jammu), Anil Sharma (DGM SIDBI), Ravindra Kumar Gupta (DGM SBI), PNB’s DGM, and heads of various organizations.
