Chief Minister N. Rangasamy has appealed to entrepreneurs to start new industrial ventures in Puducherry.

Speaking at an event of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Puducherry chapter, to launch its Digital Excellence for Growth and Enterprise (Dx-EDGE), the Chief Minister said the government was keen on having more industries for providing job opportunities and improve economic activity in the Union Territory.

Dx-EDGE, an initiative spearheaded by the CII with the support of NITI Frontier Tech Hub and the All India Council for Technical Education, was aimed at empowering MSMEs with the knowledge and ecosystem needed to become future ready. 

Complimenting the CII for the new initiative, the Chief Minister said the country has achieved tremendous growth on the industrial front. New forms of industrial ventures are driving economic growth in the country. The initiative by the CII would help provide local residents more job opportunities, he said.

The Puducherry government, he said, was keen on attracting more industries and giving fast approvals. “Our government has taken steps to utilise 750-odd acres of idle land at Sedarapet. We are in the process of establishing a Special Economic Zone at Sedarapet and an IT park at Mettuplayam. Our government is committed to provide fast clearance for proposals to establish industrial units and provide all other assistance to entrepreneurs,” the Chief Minister said. 

CII Southern Region chairman Ravichandran Purushothaman said digital transformation has become a strategic necessity for enterprises worldwide as global markets increasingly demand greater efficiency, transparency, traceability and resilience. The MSMEs must accelerate technology adoption to remain globally competitive.

He highlighted the critical contribution of MSMEs to economic growth, employment generation and exports. He also outlined global trends in MSME digitalisation, including the adoption of digital payments, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, cybersecurity and data analytics. 

Lead Architect, NITI Frontier Tech Hub, Lt. Col Rahul Kher said Dx-EDGE represents a collaborative national effort to help MSMEs embrace frontier technologies through a practical and scalable approach. The initiative promotes strong industry-academia collaboration by engaging engineering institutions and students as digital transformation facilitators, creating opportunities for experimental learning while supporting MSMEs in adopting digital technologies. 

Chairman of CII, Puducherry chapter, M. Nadarajan said the launch of Dx-EDGE reflected the strong partnership between government, industry and academia. MLA A. John Kumar and Chief Secretary Sharat Chauhan were among the participants.