-Livemint.com The Centre has started an outreach programme for such SMEs operating in 10 locations Considering that only one-fifth of the small and medium manufacturers of bulk and API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) drugs have been certified under the World Health Organization’s good manufacturing practices, the Centre has launched an outreach programme to establish India as a best-in-class pharma hub, said an official in the know. “As of now, India has around 6,790 SMEs...

-Business Standard The survey discovered that securing capital remains the biggest challenge The number of women-led MSMEs in India has jumped from 2.15 lakh to 1.23 crore in just a decade. However, they face a finance gap of $158 billion and largely rely on informal sources, said a survey by Indifi Technologies, a lending platform for MSMEs, titled ‘Understanding what women-led MSMEs want’. The survey was launched to understand needs and challenges of...

-The Hindu Business Line From easing access to credit to leveraging the PLI scheme, MSMEs can tap into a range of policy initiatives In November 2021 the government announced the Special Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme for the MSMEs (Micro Small and Medium Enterprises) in the services sector. The scheme has a provision of 25 per cent capital subsidy for procurement of service equipment through institutional credit to the SMEs for advancement...

A recent report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) states that the countrywide lockdown imposed on 25th March, 2020, which was extended for nearly two months in phases, affected the food and nutritional status of vulnerable sections of the Indian population. It says that a programme like the Mid-Day Meal Scheme covers four-fifth of primary-school-aged children in the country that helps in improving not only nutrition but also...

-TheWire.in As a fresh spotlight hits India's rural employment programme, two suggestions have been offered to “repurpose” MGNREGA to utilise the additional labour force that have returned to their villages. Due to the sudden lockdown and resultant job losses, over one crore people have returned to their homes, some walking hundreds of kilometres, others using all conceivable means of transport – buses, trucks, trailers, concrete mixers, Shramik trains, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, auto...