IndiaMART.com Augments SMEs Growth With Free ICT Tools & Services

NEW DELHI, July 7, 2010 -

    - IndiaMART.com & IAMAI Catalyze Exchange of Ideas on Free &
      Low-Cost ICT Solutions for SMEs with Conference on 'Free for SMEs'



    - Chief Guest Hon'ble Secretary, Ministry of MSME Shri Dinesh Rai
      Delves on Government's Stimulus for ICT Adoption by MSMEs

    - First-of-its-Kind Report on 'Free for SMEs' Unveiled by Shri
      Dinesh Rai

    - Endeavour to Augment Overall Efficiency of SMEs

    - 500 Strong SME Audience Reaffirms Essence of Conference

An endeavor to demystify the world of Information and
Communication technology (ICT) for Indian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
took shape in the form of first-of-its-kind Conference on 'Free for SMEs'
organized by IndiaMART.com and Internet and Mobile Association of India
(IAMAI) at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi yesterday. The esteemed Chief
Guest of the event Shri Dinesh Rai, Honorable Secretary, Ministry of Micro,
Small and Medium Enterprises applauded the efforts to put together such a
unique and crucial conference. Shri Dinesh Rai also unveiled an insightful
Report synonymous with the theme of the event. A ready reckoner for SMEs, the
report 'Free for SMEs' enlists and elucidates on the free and low-cost ICT
solutions which can be leveraged by these enterprises to increase their
productivity. Moreover, a strong participation from over 500 SMEs enunciated
the entire relevance of the conference.

As part of the inaugural session, Mr. Dinesh Agarwal, Founder
and CEO, IndiaMART.com, stressed upon the use of ICT to drive SMEs growth
while welcoming the audience. Further, Mr. Anil Bhardwaj, Secretary General,
Federation of Indian Micro and Medium Enterprises (FISME) also shared his
views.

Apprising on the government's push for ICT adoption by SMEs,
Shri Dinesh Rai, stated, "SMEs are the backbone of Indian industry. Growing
at the rate of 12%, they host huge employment opportunities. However, the
strong SME sector faces stiff competition from across the globe. Here, I feel
ICT applications would play an essential role in helping SMEs fight this
growing competition. In fact, Government of India has various programs to
encourage ICT adoption amongst SMEs and further boost the economy. An ICT
scheme was recently launched with a budget of Rs.105 crores, which entails
clusters identification for ICT intervention, web portal development, local
software preparation, e-catalogs construction, among others."

Calling SMEs the engines of growth of economy in India and
other emerging markets, Mr. Dinesh Agarwal, said, "SMEs are crucial for the
country to progress. Hence, it becomes all the more important to integrate
them with ICT. However, the prevailing impediment of lack of its awareness
has to be urgently overcome to drive growth of SMEs. And, this is where the
significance of the Conference on 'Free for SMEs' is drawn from. The need of
the hour for SMEs is to evaluate and utilize the optimal new age technology
like Cloud Computing or other ICT solutions such as B2B Marketplaces, Social
Media Marketing, email and SMS marketing, et al to enhance their businesses.
Easily available, these solutions neither require huge investments nor
complex infrastructure to support them."

Citing a direct correlation between awareness and adoption of
ICT by SMEs, Mr. Anil Bhardwaj, said, "Scope of growth through ICT is immense
in India as its usage by SMEs is still at a nascent stage. We have observed
that adoption of ICT is directly proportional to accessibility and
infrastructure development in the country. Hence, once we address these two
issues, we would inch closer to ICT adoption further bringing transparency in
functioning of businesses."

The zealous guests participating in the conference had various
questions pertaining to the Government schemes for the ICT adoption by
several segments. On being asked by Mr. Deepak Kumar if the schemes catered
to mid-market companies like theirs (SAP Consultancy) and provided subsidies
to them, Shri Rai replied, "We have been actively encouraging partnership in
these programs. And, if your company becomes a technology partner in a local
area, then it would be entitled to these subsidies."

About IndiaMART.com

IndiaMART.com is India's largest online B2B marketplace
connecting global buyers with suppliers through business directories, online
product catalogs, buy-sell offers, industry specific marketplaces, printed
media and trade shows participation.

Founded in 1996, the company has a pan-India presence in over
100 cities. With over 1500 employees located across 39 offices in the
country, IndiaMART.com offers an extensive range of value-added products and
services to its 700,000 registered members and nearly 5 million global buyers
across various industries and verticals.

IndiaMART.com has won numerous awards over the years and has
been widely covered by media such as CNBC, BBC, BusinessMoney, CNN,
Businessworld, Economic Times, Financial Express, etc for its pioneering role
in promoting SME business in the country. Its existing investors include
Intel Capital and Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd (Times Group), India's largest
print media group.

For more information, please visit:
www.indiamart.com/press-section/

    Media Contacts
    Arun Tyagi
    Marketing & PR
    IndiaMART.com
    M: +91-9711003832
    T: +91-120-3911000
    F: +91-120-2424943
    E: pr@indiamart.com

Media Contacts - Arun Tyagi, Marketing & PR, IndiaMART.com, M: +91-9711003832, T: +91-120-3911000, F: +91-120-2424943, E: pr at indiamart.com