PMEGP sees sharp credit slowdown as loan sanctions plunge 50% in FY26
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Bank loans under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) fell by half to ₹6,148 crore in 2025-26 from ₹12,315 crore a year earlier, marking the third consecutive decline, according to data from the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) ministry and its PMEGP portal.The lower disbursements coincide with FY26 recording the lowest number of loan applications in a decade, signalling weakening momentum in credit support for small enterprises and job creation under the scheme.The trend raises questions about the creditworthiness of MSMEs and banks’ risk perception of small business loans amid external uncertainties, even as the Centre has increased the budgetary allocation for subsidized loans to start small non-farm business ventures to ₹4,500 crore (BE) for FY27 from ₹2,548 crore (RE) in FY26.The fall in bank loan sanctions is likely due to FY26 being the last year of the fifteenth finance commission cycle that began in FY21, with banks facing uncertainty about whether the scheme will continue, said an official directly aware of the development.The sixteenth finance commission, in its report submitted to the central government in November 2025, noted certain inconsistencies in the reporting of the PMEGP as a subsidy scheme.“Now that the budget for the PMEGP has been allocated for FY27, we expect bank loan sanctions as well as job creation under the scheme to rebound,” the official said on condition of anonymity.A senior bank official said the fall also needs to be seen in the context of tighter credit filters and a shift towards improving asset quality.
“While sanction numbers appear lower, banks have become more selective in underwriting PMEGP proposals to ensure
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