Centre weighs scaling up MSME Champions Scheme outlay ninefold to ₹10,000 crore
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: The Centre is planning a steep increase in the financial outlay of its MSME Champions Scheme to around ₹10,000 crore for the next five years, according to two officials aware of the development, amid efforts to push cleaner manufacturing, exports, and global competitiveness among small businesses.
The comparable allocation for FY22–FY26 was ₹1,125 crore. “The outlay for the MSME Champions scheme may be upwardly revised to about ₹8,000 crore or ₹10,000 crore over the next five years, and the proposal has reached the EFC (expenditure finance committee) stage," said one of the officials cited above, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Procedurally, once the EFC — chaired by the expenditure secretary V. Vualnam — approves the plan, a cabinet note will be circulated for approval.
The second official cited above said that the entire process including approvals from the EFC and the Union cabinet may take about 3-5 more months. “The MSME ministry is working on increasing the outlay of this scheme following consultations where the industry sought an increase in funds for strengthening cleaner and more efficient manufacturing practices, in order to be competitive in global markets," the second official added.
The MSME Champions scheme started with an allocation of ₹875 crore (actual) in FY22, followed by subsequent allocations of ₹52 crore (actual FY23), ₹80 crore (actual FY24), ₹55 crore (revised estimates FY25) and ₹55 crore (budget estimates FY26), according to budget documents. According to the India SME Forum, an industry lobby group representing about 100,000 MSMEs, only about 173,000 of the country’s 74 million MSMEs are exporters, contributing about 45% to the country’s
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