Dr Kalam unveils SME Handbook for entrepreneurs

April 11, 2008

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Former President, India recently unveiled a handbook for
entrepreneurs, an ICICI Bank initiative in association with CyberMedia to mark
the launch of SME CEOs Knowledge Series, a nation-wide program to equip SMEs
with skills and knowledge relevant to their sector.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Kalam said, “This initiative will create
larger awareness among the SMEs spread across the country. The SME Handbook will
be handy in creation of new enterprises, enhancing the productivity of present
SMEs, reducing the sickness among SMEs and above all increasing the throughput
significantly.”

ICICI Bank has partnered CyberMedia to launch this program to empower the
CEOs of various SMEs by providing a platform for knowledge sharing and joint
learning. The forum will cover identified industrial clusters in 26 different
cities, offering an opportunity for the CEOs to interact with the experts in
various fields viz human resources, taxation, marketing, finance and
entrepreneurship. The experts include practicing professors from IIM Calcutta,
taxation experts from advisory firm Deloitte and bankers from ICICI Bank.

Dinesh Rai, Secretary, Ministry of Micro-Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME),
Government of India said, “The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
sees the contribution as well as the vast potential of Indian entrepreneurial
enterprises. The government is making all efforts to strengthen MSMEs to enable
them to face competition in liberalized economy.”

K Ram Kumar, Group Head-HR, ICICI Bank said, “I believe that the biggest
of the multinationals worldwide started as a SME. Today, at this platform, I
would like to exhort our Indian counterparts that they should scale up their
ambition and focus on achieving the large multinational status within a decade.
There is no time more opportune than now for this transformation to happen.”

Vijay Chandok, Global Head-SME Business, ICICI Bank said, “ICICI Bank's
initiative is the result of a continued dialogue with the SME community and
reflects our deep commitment to further the cause of entrepreneurship.”