Parliament Question: Enterprise formalization and employment related achievements

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3458 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.03.2026 ENTERPRISE FORMALIZATION AND EMPLOYMENT RELATED ACHIEVEMENTS 3458. SHRI BRIJ LAL: SHRI MITHLESH KUMAR: SHRI SHAMBHU SHARAN PATEL: DR. ANIL SUKHDEORAO BONDE: SHRI SUBHASH BARALA: DR. MEDHA VISHRAM KULKARNI: SHRI SADANAND MHALU SHET TANAVADE: SMT. DARSHANA SINGH: Will the Minister of MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has successfully crossed the milestone of 78.3 million registered MSMEs on the Udyam and Udyam Assist Platform (UAP) by March, 2026; (b) the manner in which the integration of the Udyam Portal with e-Shram and Skill India Digital is positively impacting the identification and skill development of workers employed in registered MSMES; (c) the positive results achieved in bringing Informal Micro Enterprises (IMEs) into the formal financial fold for priority sector lending through the Udyam Assist Platform (UAP), the details thereof; and (d) the manner in which the increase in women-owned MSMEs (currently over 30.7 million registrations) has contributed to the success of the "Viksit Bharat" vision for inclusive economic growth? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE) (a) to (c): A revised definition based on the twin criteria of investment and turnover, was adopted to define Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in 2020. For registration of MSMEs, Udyam Registration Portal (URP) was launched on 01.07.2020. Further, to formalise Informal Micro Enterprises (IMEs), Udyam Assist Platform (UAP) was launched on 11.01.2023. Since the adoption of the revised definition, over 7.92 crore enterprises have already registered. URP has been integrated with the National Career Service portal, e-Shram portal of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the Skill India Digital Portal. This integration enables better identification and mapping of workers associated with MSMEs and facilitates their linkage with employment opportunities, as well as skilling, reskilling and upskilling initiatives, thereby improving productivity and employability in the MSME sector.: 2 : The Reserve Bank of India has advised banks that Udyam Assist Certificate (UAC) issue to IMEs have to be considered equivalent to URCs, and IMEs with valid UAC are to be treated as micro enterprises for PSL purpose. Additionally, to facilitate unsecured affordable credit flow to Informal Micro Enterprise (IMEs), for their composite requirement, special provision under Credit Guarantee Scheme (CGS) for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) has been made i.e. Credit facility up to ₹20 lakh is guaranteed with an extent of coverage of 85%. (d): The increase in women owned enterprises is an indicator that various initiatives taken by the Ministry of MSMEs for women have increased their participation, thereby contributing to the success of VIksit Bharat viusion for inclusive growth. In addition, some of the initiatives taken to promote the women-owned enterprises are as under: i. Special drives for registration of women-owned MSMEs on Udyam Registration (UR) and Udyam Assist Portals (UAP). ii. Out of the total PMEGP beneficiaries, 39% are women and they are provided higher subsidy (35%) vis-a-vis non-special category (upto 25%). iii. To encourage entrepreneurship among women, Ministry of MSME implements ‘Skill Upgradation and Mahila Coir Yojana’ under Coir Vikas Yojana, which is an exclusive training programme aimed at skill development of women artisans engaged in the Coir sector. iv. Participation of women entrepreneurs in trade fairs under Procurement and Marketing Support Scheme is subsidized to the extent of 100% vis-a-vis 80% for other entrepreneurs. v. The Ministry has launched the awareness campaign ‘Yashasvini’ to create awareness among existing and aspiring women entrepreneurs with various schemes of the Ministry of MSME, providing them with continuum of support through handholding, mentorship, and capacity building. ****