Expressnews
Chennai, India, March, 2025: FICCI Tamil Nadu State Council in association with COSIDICI and TANSTIA jointly organized a one-day awareness program on “ESG & SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES FOR MSMEs”. The event was well attended by policy makers, industry leaders, and sustainability experts and professionals from MSMEs in the State, to raise awareness about ESG policies, sustainable business practices, and emerging opportunities for MSMEs, their evolving role and impact on businesses and the Indian economy as a whole.
Welcoming the esteemed guests and the dignitaries for the day, Dr. GSK VELU, Chairman, FICCI Tamil Nadu State Council & CMD Trivitron Healthcare/Neuberg Diagnostics Group of Companies, said “This program is happening at a time when the World is undergoing a fundamental shift, where sustainability is no longer just a slogan, but a survival strategy, influencing everything from consumer behaviour to corporate decisions that act as a pathway to leadership in India, more so in Tamil Nadu. Together, the Government of Tamil Nadu and MSMEs have adopted energy efficient eco- friendly practices including the green industrial corridor initiative that is successfully thriving across MSME clusters in the State, attracting more new opportunities for MSMEs, who employ more than 110 million people and contribute to India’s economy. By adopting ESG, MSMEs can tap into this demand, enhancing their competitiveness in both domestic and international export markets, building trust among partners, customers and investors, reducing operational costs through resource efficiency and attracting ESG allied financing collaborators and future proofing their business against regulatory and environmental issues”.
Shri. HANS RAJ VERMA, Director General, COSIDICI/ Chairman of ITCOT Limited reiterated the importance of MSMEs for India. Highlighting the Geopolitical turbulent times, he stressed upon the need for India to prove itself as a manufacturing hub. He said, “India, with its vast market, skilled workforce, and government reforms, has become an attractive destination for manufacturers and is emerging as a pivotal player in the Global Manufacturing Hub. MSMEs will propel this growth and transformation. However, challenges like infrastructure gaps and global competition remain, in addition to upgrading and being relevant to modern times and trends in the industry and the need to be a critical part of the global supply chains. The Tamil Nadu Government has introduced several measures to boost the manufacturing sector. With our Chief Minister’s vision for Tamil Nadu becoming a 1 trillion USD economy and the key contributions of MSMEs to realize this vision, our State can become a role model for other states-powered by green energy combination of wind and solar. Just like the company financial statements and business performance metrics, there should be metrics on ESG for MSMEs that include scores on Water neutrality, Carbon footprints, bio-diversity and the likes. Also, Tamil Nadu being the richest State in biodiversity should partner with local civil societies, NGOs and forest departments to conserve biodiversity”.
Appreciating FICCI on this sustainability initiative for MSMEs he said, “FICCI and Sustainability are non-negotiable and are imperative, a business necessity that will future proof industry investments by increasing access to finance and markets. ESG can also help SMEs comply with existing and emerging regulations and standards that affect their supply chains and markets. COSIDICI chambers of commerce and FICCI are serious about sustainability, with the Centre in Delhi organising periodical programs on ESG for Students and the future of employees. COSIDICI will partner for this initiative as we have 1 Lakh MSME members. New MSMEs can partner with us and we would be happy to hand hold them and lead them to achieve their sustainable business goals amidst the emerging trends. To achieve the ‘Viksit Bharat’ 2047 objective for MSMEs, from formalization, technological assistance, infrastructure development, to credit support, sustainable practices, skill development and training, including market assistance, it has to be an all-round development, with various schemes that need to be implemented for the benefit of MSME sector across the country. The first of a series of meetings across India have begun and with Tamil Nadu’s thought leadership progress of MSMEs will become synonymous to Tamil Nadu” he concluded.
Appreciating the organisers for this awareness program and speaking about the importance of MSMEs and Sustainability co-existence, Shri. S SURESH BABUJI, Director, MSME DFO, GOI shared the various government schemes available for entrepreneurs, including women, SC/ST , the differently abled and the various assistance that the government offers in setting up of Common Facility Centres and the likes to the budding entrepreneurs in their entrepreneurial journey ”.
Shri. C. K. MOHAN, President, TANSTIA spoke about the importance of SEBI’s Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) regulatory framework for top 1000 listed companies or businesses to report their performance on Environmental, social, and corporate governance. This is just the beginning and it is non-negotiable for the future, he said. He shared insights on the role of SME contributions to the growth and economy of India and how ESG is going to affect the SMEs as well. He spoke on the need for SMEs to adopt ESG framework from scratch and how challenging it will be for them as the regulations are fairly new to them as compared to MSMEs”.
Further he added, “The reality is 75% of SMEs are not aware about the ESG and this is where TANSTIA wishes to take it forward with the State on educating and encouraging them. Investing in ESG framework is expensive but is a necessity as it can offer the businesses stay relevant for the future with many benefits including access to capital, risk management, competitive advantage, enhanced innovation and efficiency, regulatory compliance, attracting talents, stakeholder trust & engagement and brand value to retain our status as SMEs. We will start working towards compliance of ESG with immediate effect. TANSTIA will take forward the Government initiatives on behalf of the industry”.
The program witnessed a Panel Discussion on ESG & SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES FOR MSMEs with Moderator Shri. M. NANDAKUMAR, Convenor, FICCI Tamil Nadu State Council & MD, NANWIN Energy LLP, Shri. D. UDAYAKUMAR, Managing Director, Sakthi Laser Technology, Shri. V. K. GIRISH PANDIAN, President, The Industrial Estate Manufacturer’s Association, Shri. ABHISHEK BHARDWAJ, Senior Program Associate – Energy, WRI India, Shri. V. S. VENKATESAN, General Manager I/C, FaMeTN*, Smt. DIVYA UDAYAKUMAR, UDM Strategic Advisors and Shri. R SUDHARSAN, Head, FICCI Tamil Nadu State Council- participating and sharing their valuable insights.
