Coimbatore : The MSME sector would have to be encouraged to play a greater role if the national manufacturing policy to raise the sector’s share in GDP from 16 per cent to 25 by 2022 was to be realised, Tamil Nadu Governor, Banwarilal Purohit said on Monday.

Inaugurating the golden jubilee celebrations of Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA), here tonight, Purohit said MSMEs played an important and strategic role in the economic growth and equitable development of a country.

MSMEs had been accepted as prime drivers for employment generation and growth, besides contributing to the balanced regional development, he said. These enterprises imparted the resilience to withstand economic upheavals and maintain a reasonable growth rate as they were indigenous and key to sustainability and self-sufficiency.

The sector had shown admirable adaptability to survive several economic crises with agility and dynamism, he said..

Tamil Nadu was estimated to have 11.1 lakh registered small-scale industries, constituting about 12 per cent of total MSMEs in the country, with an investment of about Rs 1 lakh crore, he said.

Earlier releasing a book ‘Scupltors of Indian Independence’ authored by city advocate and founder president of ‘The Patriot’ Nandhakumar, at another function, Purohit said it was very well possible to make the country great with commitment to the cause.

“At this important juncture of history it is my earnest call that more and more citizens should come forward to serve the nation with a feeling of selflessness and national pride,” he said.

Tamil Nadu had an elaborate list of freedom fighters whose lives have been covered in the book and one would come to know about the great freedom fighters from this land of Kongu Nadu like Theeran Chinnamalai and Tiruppur Kumaran,

The patriotic slogan Jai Hind was raised by Senbagaraman who hailed from Kanyakumari district.