Press Information Bureau

Government of India

Ministry of Commerce & Industry

25-April-2012 12:40 IST

There are around 7200 clusters in traditional handloom, handicrafts and modern SME industry segments in the country.  Of these, it is estimated that 2500 are unmapped rural industry clusters.  The distribution of the clusters in India region-wise is given below:-

Source:  Policy and Status Paper on Cluster Development in India, Foundation for MSME Clusters, 2007.

Induction of new and modern technology in these clusters is imperative for development.  Accordingly, cluster development programmes of Government of India include promotion of new and modern technology by sector specific, Ministries/Departments.  Some of these programmes are Micro and Small Enterprise Cluster Development Programme (MSECDP) and Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) of Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.  Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme (IIUS) of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Mega Food Park Scheme of Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITP) of Ministry of Textiles and Scheme for Development of AYUSH clusters of Department of AYUSH. 

This information was given by the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia  in a written reply in the Rajya  Sabha today.

DS/GK

Cluster development: targeted ministry-led schemes promote technology adoption and infrastructure upgrades across traditional and SME clusters. The note presents estimated cluster counts across regions and sectors, highlights many unmapped rural industry clusters, and stresses the imperative of technology induction into clusters. It states that cluster development is pursued through sector-specific, ministry-administered schemes such as MSECDP, SFURTI, IIUS, Mega Food Park Scheme, SITP and an AYUSH cluster scheme to upgrade infrastructure, promote technology adoption and support traditional industry regeneration.