Bhubaneswar, (IANS) : The Odisha government has set up 13,500 MSME units generating employment for 42,190 persons by August this year, said an official on Saturday.

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises secretary L.N. Gupta informed that the department has set up 13,500 MSME units against the target of promoting 40,000 MSME units during the current year.

He said the MSME units would generate employment for 2 lakh persons.

The government has set a target to generate 0.4 million new jobs by promoting 0.15 million in MSME sector during 2015-19.

In order to sensitise and motivate youths to set up MSME units, it has been decided to organise 180 sensitisation programmes across the state during the remaining period of the current financial year 2016-17, said Gupta.

The department has also decided to fast track setting up of 12 clusters under Micro and Small Enterprises Cluster Development Programme (MSECDP).

These are Groundnut Cluster at Jajpur, Coir Cluster at Sakhigopal (Puri), Dry Fish Cluster at Paradip, Rice Milling Clusters at Kalahandi, Koraput and Balasore, and Engineering Clusters at Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Rayagada and Dhenkanal.

The Diagnostic Study Reports (DSRs) have been completed and special purpose vehicles already formed for Coir Cluster at Sakhigopal, Dry Fish Cluster at Paradip, Engineering Clusters at Dhenkanal and Jharsuguda and Rice Milling Clusters at Balasore and Koraput.

Gupta informed that it has also been decided to develop mini-clusters of ginning industries at Bolangir, cashew industries at Nabarangpur, engineering industries at Cuttack and Koraput, fly ash industries at Balasore, Sambalpur and Dhenkanal.