The government on Tuesday approved a procurement policy under which government departments and PSUs will give preferences to micro and small entrepreneurs. The policy cleared by the Cabinet, sets an annual target of 20 per cent procurement from these sectors. Within this limit, four per cent of the orders should be placed to the SC/ST entrepreneurs. Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni described the decision as path-breaking. It was also in line with the Congress manifesto. Elaborating the decision, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Virbhadra Singh said, with the announcement of the new policy, PSUs are expected to buy goods worth 35,000 crore rupees from the MSEs, of which a business of 7,000 crore rupees would go to the SCs/STs. Secretary Mr. Uday Verma said, the procurement policy would be voluntary in nature for three years and made mandatory after that.
The Cabinet gave its nod to the proposal to achieve convergence and synergy under the Centrally sponsored scheme National Mission on Education.
Briefing reporters, Mrs. Ambika Soni said that the proposal paves the way for e-connectivity for 572 University level institutions including private Universities besides to over 25 thousand Colleges and two thousand polytechnics. She said that NIC has been entrusted to conduct a feasibility study for connecting the Colleges and Polytechnics on optical fiber. The Minister added that the target is to provide connectivity and high quality e-content to the students at College and University level across the country.
In yet another decision, the Cabinet approved amendments to the law governing the public broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, making it clear that recruitments done between November 1997 and October 2007, will be considered as deemed deputation till retirement. It gave nod to the amendment to section 11(2) of the Prasar Bharati Broadcasting Corporation of India Amendment Bill by the addition of words… “and until their retirement” at the end of the section.
