Mangaluru : Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. organized a Special vendor development program exclusively for SC/ST vendors on 31st August 2017 in association with National Small Industries Corporation Limited, MSME and DICCI.

Director (Refinery), MRPL, Shri M Venkatesh, while delivering the presidential address, exhorted the SC/ST vendors to make use of the various facilities & learn from the specialized platform provided by MRPL at the meet, which would enable them to participate in MRPL tenders in a big way. Shri Socrates, Dy Director, MSME-DI stressed the need to improve awareness on public procurement and the benefits and preferences given to Micro & Small Enterprises while Shri Suresh Babu, Chief Manager, NSIC, explained on the various schemes and incentives by registering with NSIC. Shri A.F Saldanha, DGS&D, explained the Government E-Market place (GeM) portal for Government buyers. Shri Raja Nayak, DICCI South Zone coordinator and Shri Satischandra, Gen Secretary, DICCI Bangalore thanked MRPL for providing vendors a platform to know each other which would help them to participate in MRPL tenders. Shri P Ravikumar, Chief General Manager, NSIC, delivered the key note address and urged the participants to avail various benefits of Govt schemes and meet the target of 4% for SC/ST vendors in Public Procurement.

Senior officers from MRPL Materials department explained and presented an overview of the meet and laid out ways and means to enhance participation of SC/ST entrepreneurs in Public Procurements in general and MRPL Tenders in particular. Live demonstration of how to register online & demonstrate their capabilities, search MRPL tenders and how to participate and submit bids in E-tenders were given. Nearly 100 SC/ST vendors participated in the vendors meet.

Director (Refinery), MRPL, Shri M Venkatesh presided over the function and Shri P Ravikumar, Chief General Manager, NSIC-Bangalore was the Chief guest. Shri. Socrates, Dy Director, MSME-DI, Mangalore, Shri A.F Saldanha, Asst Director, DGS&D, Shri Raja Nayak, DICCI, South Zone Coordinator, Shri Satischandra, Gen Secretary, DICCI Bangalore, Shri Suresh Babu, Chief Manager, NSIC, Bangalore branch, were the other distinguished dignitaries who graced the occasion.