Parliament Question: Promotion of entrepreneurship in the Konkan Region through Champions MSME and SHE-Mart

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3461 TO BE ANSWERED ON: 23.03.2026 PROMOTION OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE KONKAN REGION THROUGH CHAMPIONS MSME AND SHE-MART 3461. SHRI DHAIRYASHIL MOHAN PATIL: Will the Minister of MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is considering to provide financial and technical assistance to enterprises in the Konkan region of the State of Maharashtra, particularly in the districts of Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, under the ₹10,000 crore SME Development Fund and the ‘Champions MSME’ initiative announced in the Union Budget 2026; (b) whether there is any proposal to establish community retail platforms such as ‘SHE-Mart’, operated by women self-help groups (SHGs), in these districts; and (c) the steps being taken by Government to promote the marketing, branding and export of local products? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE) (a): In the Union Budget 2026-27, Government has announced a dedicated ₹10,000 cr. SME Growth Fund to create future Champions, incentivizing enterprises through equity support, based on select criteria. Modalities of implementation of these announcements are being worked out. (b): The Government has announced the setting up of Self Help Entrepreneur (SHE) Marts as a new initiative to strengthen market access for rural women-led enterprises under the Self Help Group (SHG) ecosystem. As the programme has been recently announced, the detailed guidelines for SHE- Marts is yet to be finalized by Ministry of Rural Development. (c): To support aspirations of India’s small businesses, artisans and start-ups to access global markets through e-commerce, Government has also announced complete removal of the current value cap of ₹10 lakh per consignment on courier exports to access global markets through e-commerce. Further, Govt. of India also runs various schemes and initiatives, which inter-alia includes MSME Trade Enablement and Marketing (TEAM) initiative, which facilitates on-boarding onto the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), providing support for digital marketing, Government e- Marketplace (GeM), MSME Mart to expand market access. ****