With the Central Government deciding not to further relax the rules on the MRP based excise in the Union Budget, the small-scale manufacturers are in the process of regrouping to step up the pressure for survival.

The Confederation of Indian Pharmaceutical Industries (CIPI-ssi), the apex body of state level associations representing small-scale industries, hopes that their proposed protest march and hunger strike in Delhi on March 17 and 18 would be crucial in creating a sympathy wave for the SSIs.

CIPI office bearers are in the process of ensuring attendance of about 5000 SSI manufacturers from different parts of the country, and make the event the so far largest grouping of the SSI pharma sector, to show their strength. "We have ensured presence of maximum members from North India, and a good delegation from South will also attend the morcha. We hope something, at least keeping the issue live to help the government have a re-look at it, should be the outcome of the morcha," said T S Jaishankar, chairman, CIPI.

In fact, CIPI had planned to conduct these programmes even before the Budget. Considering the recommendations on reducing excise duty to 8 per cent and increasing the turnover limit to Rs 3 crore by officials concerned during the pre-Budget scenario, the association had decided to wait for the presentation of the Budget.

CIPI has already send reminders on the matter to Sonia Gandhi, UPA convener and Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee, citing their promised interventions to make the finance ministry reconsider the notification. Sonia Gandhi and Somnath Chatterjee were among some of the leaders who wrote to CIPI assuring help in the matter to save SSI units from the crisis. CIPI is also trying to assure the presence of AB Bardhan, CPI general secretary and some other Parliament members in the morcha. Bardhan himself had led a delegation of CIPI to discuss the issue with the union finance minister, about a week before the Budget.

Meanwhile, CIPI office bearers say, there are some positive signals from the finance ministry to discuss their demands, as some of the top officials are willing to discuss the matter with CIPI. However, CIPI would insist on meeting the Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who remained elusive to them so far after the notification, said Jaishankar.

He said the association would stick to a single point demand on the issue, to reduce excise duty to 8 per cent from the 16 per cent and to increase minimum turnover limit for SSIs to minimum Rs 3 crore from the present Rs 1 crore, if roll back of MRP based excise is not possible.