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MSME

MSMEs Are The Backbone of Economy, Can Help in Boosting Exports, Says Nitin Gadkari

Mumbai, October 29: Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of the economy and can help in boosting exports, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said. The MSME minister said at present, the MSMEs are the backbone of the country. While addressing the virtual inaugural ceremony of the 10-day ”Namaste Bharat” exhibition, Gadkari said that the government wants to create more employment in the backward and tribal areas.

The 10-day Namaste Bharat is the first of its kind exhibition for promoting ”Made in India” products globally. It is backed by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) and the High Commission of Singapore.

“We are giving highest priority for how we can reduce our import and increase our exports. The global economy is an open platform where the quality, cost and scale of marketing of products are very important factors”, he said. He said the government wants to recognise, respect, support and facilitate women entrepreneurs and at the same time we want to incentivise them.

The Namaste Bharat initiative has been conceptualized and curated by Singapore’s leading events and marketing company De Ideaz. The exhibition will see over 300-plus local Indian exhibitors showcasing over 1,00,000 Made in India products.

Talking about the Khadi Gram Udyog, the MSME Minister said that through this, the government is now concentrating on village industries and areas which are socially, economically and educationally backward. “We want to focus on these areas where we need more concentration for gaining and creating employment potential and growth. And that is exactly the way of eradication of poverty, which is our mission. They need guidance, innovation and technology and that is where we need to help them,” the minister added.

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MSME

ECLGS for MSMEs: Banks Sanction Rs 1.87 Lakh Cr to 50.7 Lakh Business Units Under Credit Guarantee Scheme

New Delhi, October 10: In a bid to help the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector, which has been the worst-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Finance Ministry announced that banks have sanctioned loans of about Rs 1,87,579 crore to 50.7 lakh business units under the Rs 3-lakh crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for the MSME sector. Reports inform that of the 50.7 lakh business units, about 27 lakh MSME units received cumulative disbursement of Rs 1,36,140 crore till October 5.

The scheme is the biggest fiscal component of the Rs 20-lakh crore Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in May 2020 to mitigate the distress caused by lockdown due to COVID-19 by providing credit to different sectors, especially MSMEs. As released by the Finance Ministry, the latest numbers on ECLGS comprise disbursements by all 12 public sector banks (PSBs), 24 private sector banks and 31 non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).

“As of 5 Oct 2020, the total amount sanctioned under the 100% Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme by PSBs, private banks & NBFCs to MSMEs and individuals stands at Rs 1,87,579 cr, of which Rs 1,36,140 cr has already been disbursed,” the finance minister said in a tweet. The loan amounts sanctioned by PSBs increased to Rs 81,648.82 crore, of which Rs 68,814.43 crore has been disbursed as of October 5, Sitharaman further added. At the same time, private sector banks have sanctioned Rs 86,576 crore of loans and disbursed Rs 59,740 crore, while NBFCs sanctioned Rs 3,032 crore with disbursement of Rs 2,227 crore.

“The ambit of the Scheme was expanded to include MSMEs with turnover of up to Rs 250 crore & individuals for business purposes. As of 05 Oct 2020, Rs 17,460 crore of loans to individuals have been sanctioned, of which Rs 5,939 crore has been disbursed,” she in a tweet. In another tweet, Sitharaman said as many as 33 stranded housing projects with investment of Rs 4,197 crore were accorded final approval under the SWAMIH scheme. “Special window for Affordable & Mid Income Housing Fund (SWAMIH) is working at a fast pace to provide relief to homeowners. As on 05.10.2020, 33 projects with investment of Rs 4,197 cr accorded final approval & will lead to completion of 25,048 home units,” the finance minister said in tweet.

The overall, 123 projects have now been sanctioned, including final approval to 33 projects, with an investment of Rs 12,079 crore that would target to provide relief to 81,308 homeowners, she said. On May 20, the Cabinet approved additional funding of up to Rs 3 lakh crore at a concessional rate of 9.25 per cent through ECLGS for MSME sector.

Under the scheme, 100 percent guarantee coverage will be provided by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) for additional funding of up to Rs 3 lakh crore to eligible MSMEs and interested Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) borrowers in the form of a guaranteed emergency credit line (GECL) facility. According to a report by PTI, for this purpose, a corpus of Rs 41,600 crore was set up by the government, spread over the current and next three financial years. The scheme will be applicable to all loans sanctioned under GECL facility during the period from the date of announcement of the scheme to October 31 or till the amount of Rs 3 lakh crore is sanctioned under GECL, whichever is earlier.

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MSME

MSME Loans Update: Interest Subvention Scheme on MSMEs Loans Extended Till End of March 31, 2021

Mumbai, October 8: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that the two percent interest subvention scheme for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) on loans extended by co-operative banks has now been extended till March 31, 2021. Moreover, the terms of the scheme have also been tweaked. In November 2018, the government had announced the ”Interest Subvention Scheme for MSMEs 2018” for scheduled commercial banks for two financial years 2018-19 and 2019-20. With the new development in place, the scheme has now been extended for the financial year 2020-21.

According to reports, co-operative banks also became as eligible lending institutions effective from March 3, 2020 and the coverage of the scheme is limited to all term loans and working capital to the extent of Rs 100 lakh. The scheme provides for an interest relief of two per cent per annum to eligible MSMEs.

The RBI, in a notification, said certain operational guidelines for the scheme have been further modified by the government. The validity of the scheme has been extended till March 31, 2021. “Accordingly, fresh or incremental term loan / working capital limit extended by co-operative banks with effect from March 3, 2020 will be eligible for coverage under the scheme,” RBI said.

A report by PTI said that the requirement of Udyog Aadhaar Number (UAN) may be dispensed with for units eligible for GST. Units not required to obtain GST may either submit Income Tax Permanent Account Number (PAN) or their loan account must be categorised as MSME by the concerned bank, the RBI said. Moreover, RBI has asked co-operative banks to take appropriate action as envisaged in the operational guidelines and issue necessary instructions to their branches or controlling offices for successful implementation of the scheme.

Reports inform that according to the scheme, the loan accounts on the date of filing claim should not have been declared as non-performing assets (NPAs). No interest subvention would be admissible for any period during which the account remains NPA.

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Finance

Narendra Modi Govt Clears Payments of Over Rs 6,800 Crore Owed to MSMEs Over Past 3 Months

In a bid to help the MSMEs, the Modi Government has been taking a series of measures. The government on Wednesday informed that the Central ministries and PSUs have cleared payments of over Rs 6,800 crore owed to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSEMs) in the last three months. It said almost three-fourths of the monthly dues have been paid during the same month by most of the ministries and CPSEs. The pending amounts are expected to be released in the normal course of business and within 45 days.

The MSME ministry, in a statement, said that “more than Rs 6,800 crore have been paid by the Ministries and CPSEs in the last three months alone”. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, as part of AtmaNirbhar Bharat package, had announced that Government entities should make such payments within 45 days. The Ministry of MSME followed up this announcement vigorously and took up the matter with the Central Ministries and Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and State Governments. Particularly very active follow up has been done with the Heads of CPSEs.

The MSME Development Act of 2006 provides that such dues should be paid within 45 days. To make the reporting easy, regular and seamless, a dedicated online format has been made for reporting the monthly payments and pendency, the ministry said.

“However, it is seen that MSME suppliers of goods and services do not receive their due payments within stipulated time. Public and private entities do cross this time limit and hence they cause hardship to the MSMEs,” the statement said. According to a government release, the ministry also said close to 4 lakh registrations have already taken place on the Udyam registration portal for MSMEs since the new system was launched in July.

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Finance Legal Startup

RBI Extends Deadline For Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum of MSME Registrations Till March 31, 2021

New Delhi, August 24: The Reserve Bank of India on Monday extended the validity of Entrepreneurs Memorandum (EM) Part II and Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum (UAMs) from June 30, 2020, to March 31, 2021. The RBI circular even stated that all the enterprises are required to register online and obtain ‘Udyam Registration Certificate’ to be classified as MSME as per new definition.

Issuing the circular, RBI said, “The existing Entrepreneurs Memorandum (EM) Part II and Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum (UAMs) of the MSMEs obtained till June 30, 2020, shall remain valid till March 31, 2021. Further, all enterprises registered till June 30, 2020, shall file new registration in the Udyam Registration Portal well before March 31, 2021.”

Adding more, the circular noted, “‘Udyam Registration Certificate’ issued on self-declaration basis for enterprises exempted from filing GSTR and/or ITR returns will be valid for the time being, up to March 31, 2021.”

Following this, the Ministry of MSME said that the registration for Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum website is up and the registrations are underway. The Ministry said that the need for a document for classification purpose has been dispensed for a paperless approach.

Here’s what MSME tweeted:

Apart from this, the Ministry of MSMEs said in its circular that classification and re-classification of MSMEs is the statutory responsibility of the government. These classifications are done as per the provisions of the MSMED Act, 2006. With this, all lenders will have to obtain ‘Udyam Registration Certificate’ from the entrepreneurs.