Parliamentary panel reviews support for MSMEs; Chairperson Tiruchi Siva highlights export, job gains
New Delhi, June 18
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry, led by Chairperson Tiruchi Siva, held a meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday to deliberate on the enhancement of support mechanisms for traditional and labour-intensive Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sectors.
DMK Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva emphasised the vital role of MSMEs in boosting India's exports and employment generation following a high-level meeting with ministry officials.
Siva said, "The members gave their views and suggestions. We see a substantial improvement in the working of the MSMEs. MSMEs contribute to the generation of employment and have a contribution of 48.5 per cent to the exports. We are taking up different subjects."
The DMK leader further highlighted India's recent trade agreements and their influence on the country's manufacturing and export sectors. "We are assessing their impact as well," he added.
According to the government, the MSMEs contribute about 31.1 per cent to India's GDP, account for 48.58 per cent of total exports, and generate around 35.4 per cent of manufacturing output. The sector encompasses more than 7.47 crore enterprises across manufacturing, services, and trade activities. It provides livelihoods to approximately 32.8 crore people, making it the second-largest source of employment after agriculture.
A large share of these enterprises operates in rural and semi-urban areas. They support local value chains, promote non-farm employment, and contribute to regional economic development.
Given their importance, strengthening MSMEs in rural and semi-urban areas is critical. This helps promote inclusive growth, improve productivity, and integrate small enterprises into national and global supply chains. Many of the MSMEs exist as unregistered and informal enterprises. It is necessary to formalise them so that they can avail credit and other support being extended to the sector. In recent years, formalisation has accelerated through digital registration platforms.
As of March 2026, over 7.9 crore MSMEs and informal micro enterprises have been registered through Udyam and Udyam Assist Platforms. This reflects the expanding reach of institutional support mechanisms for small businesses.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally some attention to the backbone of our economy! I run a small textile unit in Tirupur and the export potential is huge if we get policy support. The 32.8 crore jobs figure is no joke - we need better skilling programs and market linkages for rural artisans. Siva ji should push for more women entrepreneur schemes too. 👍
The trade agreements impact assessment is crucial. Our MSMEs are not ready for global competition without proper handholding. Also, the article says 7.9 crore registered, but how many are actually operational? Need better data and ground-level implementation. Otherwise these committee meetings will remain just photo ops.
The mention of rural and semi-urban areas is spot on! My uncle runs a small engineering unit in a village near Coimbatore. The Udyam registration helped him get a loan, but the real issue is power supply and logistics. 32.8 crore livelihoods depend on these enterprises - we need stable electricity and better road connectivity more than just committee recommendations.
Good that they are reviewing support mechanisms. But as a small business owner, I can tell you the real pain point is delayed payments from larger companies. The MSME Samadhaan portal helps but enforcement is weak. Also, why no mention of digital payment infrastructure for rural MSMEs? That would boost formalisation more than any registration drive.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.