Q. How old is FISME?
A. The National Alliance Young Entrepreneurs (N.A.Y.E.) - established in 1967, along with eight state level associations of small industries jointly gave birth to FISME in 1995. With FISME’s inception, it assumed the federal structure and the state chapters of N.A.Y.E. became independent state bodies and joined FISME as members.

Q. Who can become member of FISME? Who are members of FISME ?
A. Either the Small & Medium enterprises based in India or their industry associations can become member of FISME. Only enterprises engaged in manufacturing or service enterprises are encouraged to become members; traders are not allowed to take membership. Membership is open to all SMEs subject to approval of central executive committee of FISME. FISME’s membership is spread over all major sectors ranging from handicrafts to engineering to high-tech electronic items. Through, associated SME associations, FISME reach out to over 100,000 SMEs across the country.

Q. How are the office bearers of FISME selected and what is the organization structure.?
A. The apex decision making body of FISME is the Central Executive Committee. It has 21 elected members. 7 oldest members retire every year and therefore 7 seven seats are offered for general election each year. Any FISME member can file his/her nomination for membership of CEC. If more than seven nominations are received, all eligible FISME members cast their vote to select the seven CEC members. The members who secure highest number of votes are declared elected.

The CEC elects the President for the year and the office bearers. The CEC usually authorize the President to nominate his own team of office bearers. Besides the President, normally the other office bearers are : one Sr. Vice President, 4 Vice Presidents, one Treasurer. The Secretary General is non-elected full time office bearer who heads the Secretariat.

Q. What is chief objective of FISME?
A. The Mission objective of FISME states : "To assist SMEs build the capabilities to
respond to changing external environment and exploit new opportunities by becoming market centric".

Q. What is the focus of FISME’s activities?
A. Assistance to small and medium enterprises in Marketing their products is the chief focus of FISME’s activities. The bottom line is the whatever activity we organize, it should contribute in empowerment and the capacity building of the member enterprise in becoming more profitable than before.

Q. What kind of activities are undertaken by FISME to assist the SMEs in marketing?
A. FISME’s activities are meant to address the following constraints of SMEs:Their inability to access right information on new markets for their products, new emerging opportunities that are more profitable, technological change, Technology, training facilities for themselves and their employees, new innovative tools of financing and information on new laws and legislation having impact on their businesses. Therefore, following is the illustrative list of activities that are organized by FISME to address these constraints:

a. Trade Fairs:
FISME organizes collective participation in Trade Fairs in India and abroad at affordable prices. Most Trade Fairs organized by FISME are partially or wholly sponsored by Indian Government, UN Agencies, SIDBI or other Trade Promotion Organizations.
b. Trade delegations:
FISME also mounts Trade delegations to select foreign markets with the help of Trade promotion Agencies to reduce cost to SMEs.

c. Meetings with foreign Trade delegations and Buyer/Seller meets:
Most foreign Trade delegations visiting India seek a meeting with FISME members and such meetings are organized on cost to cost basis.

d. Seminars:
FISME regularly organizes Seminars on generally two types of topics : one that are related to Marketing and other related to Regulations (national and international). The topics of recent seminars, for example, have been: WTO implications for SMEs, EXIM Policy, E-Commerce, Marketing to Central Purchasing agencies as DGS&D, DGQA etc.

e. Training Program :
Short Term training program for entrepreneurs on topics of their interest as on Quality, productivity, art of living, Export documentation etc. Further, Sponsored Training program are also available to FISME members through International Trade Promotion Organizations as CBI-Netherlands, APO etc.

f. Information dissemination :
Continuous flow of information is directed to the members containing Trade Inquiries/ Business opportunities, Market/ country Reports, changes in rules/ regulations, technology etc. Information is disseminated with dual mode of delivery - e-mail as well as mail. Besides, all the information which is disseminated through mails, huge amount of information is available to only FISME members on almost all the interest topics at ’Members’ Area’ on FISME’s web site.

g.     Research :
FISME spends considerable resources in research related to the emerging needs of SMEs. The focus of the research remains on markets or legislation affecting markets.

h. SMEnetwork:
FISME has promoted India’s first portal for Small and medium Enterprises (SMEs) - SMEnetwork. The SMEnetwork houses horizontal and vertical e-communities of SMEs.

Q. How FISME is different from other associations?
A. FISME’s focus is qualitatively different from other associations which is clear by its mission statement also. ’Market’ is the center of the activity in FISME. While associations, generally, are governed by ’demands’ of the sector, FISME is concerned about the ’needs’ of the sector.

Q. Is FISME recognized by Government?
A. a. FISME is duly recognized by all Ministries and related organizations of the Union Government as one of the chief representative bodies of Small and medium enterprises. Accordingly FISME is nominated by the Government at :
- SSI Board, Ministry of SSI as national level association of small industries
- Technology Development Board, Ministry of SSI
- Working group on Small Industries at Planning Commission
- Finance Minister’s Pre-budget consultation committee
- Scores of committees related to SSIs in Ministry of Commerce and Industry ( including DGFT and Export Promotion Councils), Ministry of SSI & ARI (including DC-SSI), Ministry of Labour, Ministry of External Affairs among others.
- FISME works closely with public SSI promotion institutions of the country as Development Commissioner-SSI, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) etc. and have launched several joint initiatives at national level.

b. Further, FISME is regularly invited to appear before the Department Related Standing Committees of the Parliament on Small Scale Industries, Commerce and Industry etc., to present its views.
c. FISME is also working closely with several State Governments for the development and growth of SMEs and is represented at several boards/ committees in different states.
d. FISME is authorized by Ministry of Commerce and Industry , Govt. of India to issue Certificate of Origin ( for exporters). FISME authorization is duly recognized by Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India for purposes of legalization of documents.

Q. Is FISME also recognized by international institutions?
A. FISME is the only national body of SMEs that is working closely with United Nations Agencies as UNIDO, ITC/ UNCTAD, ILO, UN-G77 CCI etc. Besides, FISME has signed MoUs in 19 countries with counterpart SME associations in both developed and developing countries. (In Decmber 2001, FISME has entered into MoU of cooperation with National Associations of Small & Medium Enterprises -NASME in Taiwan. ). All major international institutions from JSBRI Japan to OECF to US-SBA to EU-ICCP approach FISME in India with regard to SMEs.

Even the Chief Advisor of FISME is Dr. Williams Tita Tiga - CEO, UN-G77 CCI.