MSME Ministry Trains 2,500 Artisans in AI Tools Under PM Vishwakarma Scheme

The Ministry of MSME has trained over 2,500 artisans and craftspeople under the PM Vishwakarma Scheme in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, marking the first-of-its-kind initiative across Government of India ministries to integrate grassroots entrepreneurs into the AI ecosystem.

Background of the Initiative

• Scheme: PM Vishwakarma, launched on 17 September 2023, supports artisans in 18 traditional trades with training, tools, credit, and market linkage.
• Objective: Empower artisans by bridging the digital divide and enhancing livelihoods through technology.
• Alignment: Reflects the vision of “AI for Social Good” emphasized at the IndiaAI Impact Summit and reinforced in the Delhi Declaration.

Training Highlights

• Beneficiaries: 2,543 artisans and craftspeople across 20 States and Union Territories.
• Format: Hands-on, practical sessions delivered in simple language and tailored to local contexts.
• AI Tools Introduced: ChatGPT, Indus, and Google Gemini.
• Skills Covered:
  • Branding, product design, packaging, and marketing strategies
  • AI-enabled business efficiency solutions
  • Customer engagement and market expansion
  • AI-generated product descriptions and high-quality visual content

Pan-India Coverage

State/UT	Beneficiaries
Telangana	387
Maharashtra	295
Gujarat	262
Rajasthan	251
Bihar	250
Karnataka	248
Uttar Pradesh	210
Punjab	100
Delhi	82
Odisha	70
Goa	68
Uttarakhand	51
Meghalaya	51
Tripura	50
Jharkhand	43
Daman & Diu	38
Chandigarh	36
Himachal Pradesh	31
Sikkim	20
Total	2,543

Impact and Significance

• Digital Empowerment: Bridges the gap between traditional craftsmanship and modern technology.
• Global Competitiveness: Enhances product value and market reach for grassroots entrepreneurs.
• Economic Growth: Promotes sustainable and inclusive growth by enabling artisans to access new customer segments.
• Policy Innovation: First initiative across Government of India ministries to integrate artisans into the AI ecosystem.

Conclusion

This pioneering effort by the Ministry of MSME under the PM Vishwakarma Scheme represents a transformative step in India’s digital journey. By equipping artisans with AI-driven skills, the government is not only preserving India’s rich artisanal heritage but also positioning it for global competitiveness in the digital age.

MSME Technology Centre to Be Set Up in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra

Union Minister for MSME, Shri Narayan Rane, has announced the establishment of MSME-Technology Centre with an outlay of Rs.200 Crore, in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra. 

The Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) -Technology Centre will provide the best of technology, incubation as well as advisory support to the industry, especially MSMEs, to enhance their competitiveness and provide skilling services for the employed and unemployed youth of the area to enhance their employability.

The Minister made this announcement at the inauguration of the two-day MSME Conclave (25 and 26 February) being organized in Sindhudurg by the Ministry of MSME. The Conclave aims to promote entrepreneurship and trade opportunities for MSMEs in the Konkan region by handholding them in use of technology, product development and skilling.

Speaking about the significance of the conclave, the Union Minister said, “such conclaves serve as an important platform for entrepreneurs, policy makers and other key stakeholders to engage in an open dialogue to exchange information, innovative ideas and explore mutual business opportunities.”

“The objective behind this conclave is to make Sindhudurg region – the top most in industrial sector,” said Shri Rane. He pointed out how most of the residents of Sindhudurg had to leave the city in search of job opportunities and to earn a living. He insisted that we have to bring change in the current scenario where income is generated in Sindhudurg and where our future generation can benefit from it.

MSME Ministry has set up nearly 2000+ new manufacturing units in Konkan; huge scope of employment creation in Maharashtra

The Minister lauded the MSME Ministry's initiatives in the Konkan region and said that there is huge scope of employment creation in Maharashtra, particularly in the Konkan region. The Minister added that the government is committed to promote entrepreneurship and employment creation in the region by rigorous implementation of flagship programs like PMEGP (Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme) , SFURTI (Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries), Honey Mission and Kumhar Sashaktikaran Yojana for empowerment of potters.

Shri Rane said the Ministry has given a big thrust to entrepreneurship by setting up nearly 2,000+ new manufacturing units in the Konkan region since 2016, resulting in creation of 16,400 direct employment. To support these projects, Ministry has disbursed subsidy amount of Rs 71.65 crore.

The Minister also distributed electric potter wheels, bee boxes and Agarbatti making machines to rural artisans of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg District and adjoining areas. He also felicitated 25 Khadi artisans and handed over certificates on completion of training. Further, sanction letters were handed over to 10 PMEGP beneficiaries who will take stride towards self-reliance by associating with self-employment activities of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

Presentation on various schemes being implemented by the Ministry was also made by the senior officials of the Ministry during the Conclave, which was attended by entrepreneurs and youth from rural and semi-urban areas.

Additional Secretary & Development Commissioner, MSME, Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh emphasized on the importance and relevance of various schemes like Udyam Registration and Champions Portal for the MSME sector that had a positive impact during the COVID-19 pandemic.

51.4% of MSMEs Assessed were 1st Time Borrowers, says NeoGrowth Research

‘Social Impact’ study conducted from a base of 17,000 MSMEs across 7 cities; the research report highlights the credit inclusion of small and medium businesses 

An exhaustive study by NeoGrowth Credit on a base of over 17,000 MSMEs across cities including Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad, revealed some interesting insights about the MSME industry.

Credit bureau scores have been traditionally used as a report card of one's credit history and repayment behavior. The lack of sufficient credit history or no credit history usually makes it difficult for the borrower to get loan approvals. According to NeoGrowth Research, over 51.4% of the MSMEs assessed were first-time borrowers.

According to the Sixth Economic Census released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in 2018, women constitute around 14% of the total entrepreneur base in India i.e. 8.05 million out of the total 58.5 million entrepreneurs. 

10.8% of the total disbursements of the 17,000 MSMEs assessed for FY2019-20 were towards businesses that were run by women either as sole proprietors, partners, or directors. 

The entrepreneurial ecosystem in India has been conventionally led by experienced players that have been reigning in their respective markets for generations. While first generation entrepreneurs are finally emerging in the scenario, they are starved of growth opportunities majorly due to a lack of credit. NeoGrowth Research establishes that about 77.6% of the MSMEs assessed were revealed to be first-generation entrepreneurs. 

With digital connectivity growing rapidly and emergence of smart cities, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are the new business hubs, employment centres and consumer markets of the country. About 19% of the MSMEs assessed in the study, were originating from Tier-2 cities.

The Indian Government considers MSMEs and entrepreneurship as key to driving economic growth, innovation, job creation and social upliftment across the nation. By generating 120 million employment opportunities, MSMEs boast of being the second largest job creators in the country. As per the study, 28% of the MSMEs assessed showed an increase in the number of their employees’ post availing a business loan.

These insights form part of an annual assessment conducted by NeoGrowth. Over these years, NeoGrowth the company has successfully maintained its unique product proposition by providing collateral free, short-term, quick, and customized business loans on flexible repayment terms. Having disbursed loans amounting to more than INR 5,500 crores, NeoGrowth has been funding and enabling MSMEs to grow and sustain their businesses while continuing to tread on its initial journey of achieving inclusive growth. 

Mr. Dhruv Khaitan, Founder and Chairman, NeoGrowth said, “We are happy to share our Sixth Social Impact Report, an annual effort to engage with our key stakeholders – MSMEs, to understand their financial needs, challenges faced by them and assess the impact of lending activities on their lives. At NeoGrowth, we have always focused on creating strong positive social impact on MSMEs by lending to first generation entrepreneurs, assisting women entrepreneurs and enabling our customers in job creation and improvement of credit scores via our loans.”

NeoGrowth Research is the in-house research team of NeoGrowth that keeps a continuous track on the emerging trends in the payments, fintech and MSME sectors and publishes insights.

About NeoGrowth:

NeoGrowth Credit Pvt. Ltd is a Systemically Important, Non-Deposit taking NBFC and a pioneer in SME lending based on the underwriting of digital payments data. NeoGrowth provides finance to small business owners to drive business growth that matches their ambitions. Hassle-free loans are powered by technology innovations and leverage the digital payments ecosystem. It provides financing to retailers, restaurants, apparel shops, kirana stores, petrol pumps, groceries, pharmacies and other MSMEs with flexible repayment options and customized products addressing multiple business needs. It not only helps its customers grow but also drives financial inclusion making a positive social impact. NeoGrowth is backed by renowned investors, namely Omidyar Network, Aspada Investment Company, Khosla Impact, Accion Frontier Inclusion Fund – Quona Capital, IIFL Seed Ventures Fund and Leapfrog Investments.

TiE Mumbai Advises Startups for MSME Registration

There is no doubt that the MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) are today the precursors of India's economic growth. They are major contributors to the tax base of India. The government has run several developmental avenues for the empowerment and expansion of the MSME sector. It is beyond any doubt that the key for Startup founders to access all such avenues is to obtain the Udyog Aadhaar MSME Registration in India.

"I see merit in Startups especially early stage and growth stage to avail the benefit of MSME registration. We welcome and support the Government's initiative to make liquidity available to all businesses and this will help the economy to bounce back sooner," said Atul Nishar, President, TiE Mumbai.

Sanjay Mehta, Founder & Partner 100X.VC and Board Member, TiE Mumbai

"With the Atmanirbhar package, MSME registration for startups is a necessity as there are good benefits which early stage companies can avail of besides the loan package which is still getting rolled out. MSME SAMADHAAN is one such benefit where a startup will get payments in a maximum of 45 days. Financial assistance through MSME incubators is also a key attraction. At 100X.VC we are asking all our startup portfolio companies get the MSME registrations," said Sanjay Mehta, Founder & Partner 100X.VC and Board Member, TiE Mumbai.

Startups have long been facing a problem of delayed realisation of their bills and receivables, particularly from large corporate buyers and government organisations. Especially in the times of COVID-19 when the need for cash flow for startups is at the highest level, being MSME registered makes good sense for Startups given its numerous benefits. The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006, MSME SAMADHAAN made provisions to mitigate the problem of delayed payment, whereby any buyer who fails to make payment to MSMEs, as per agreed terms or a maximum of 45 days, would be liable to pay monthly compounded interest at three times the bank rate notified by RBI.

Any individual or Micro and Small Industries (MSEs) startup that has innovative business ideas at near commercialisation stage can approach the Business Incubators approved under the scheme. Under the scheme, various institutions like Engineering Colleges, Management Institutions, Research labs, etc. that have in-house incubation facilities and faculty for providing handholding support to new ideas/entrepreneurs can apply in the prescribed application form. The main objective of the scheme is to promote & support untapped creativity of individuals and to promote adoption of latest technologies in manufacturing as well as knowledge based innovative MSMEs.

Benefits of the MSME registration

• Financial assistance up to 15 lakhs for developing and nurturing an idea.


• Financial assistance of up to 1.00 Cr. as grants in aid for the seed capital support to HIs/BIs for converting deserving ideas into startups


• MSME registration helps in getting government tenders


• Under bank loan, 15% import subsidy on fully automatic machinery


• Becomes easy to get licenses, approvals and registrations, irrespective of field of business.


• Compensation of ISO certificate expenditure


• Registered MSMEs gets tariff subsidies and tax and capital subsidies


• Gets exemption under Direct Tax Laws

For more details of Atmanirbhar package and its Benefits, please visit www.msme.gov.in.

Other initiatives by TiE Mumbai

In this unprecedented scenario, TiE Mumbai continues to assist Startups and has organized several webinars with investors, legal assists, Industry leaders and mentors to help entrepreneurs with much needed guidance to tide over the current situation.

Tech in new retail - Post-COVID-19 - While the Retail industry is getting ready to face new challenges to revive the business in post-COVID-19 phase, there seems to be consensus on certain new trends. Online, whether it is Commerce, Education or Collaboration certainly seems to have gained traction. In retail, Contactless Commerce, In-store digital experiences, Integrated Commerce across new channels, In-store Social distancing, Contactless Payments etc. are emerging as new business requirements for post outbreak customers. Having an online presence will not be a choice anymore but hygiene. The webinar deliberated on the technology imperatives & opportunities from the COVID situation.

Is Your Business Ready to Face the Corona Challenge - This was a mentoring session for startups in the areas of Revenue & Income Optimization, Partnerships & Alliances, Investment & Financing, Operations & People issues and Cash Flow & Financial Management.

Webinar on Raising Funding in Difficult Times - This session focused on the importance of maintaining a nibble footed, solid low-cost business model to tide over the current situation. With a crunch of liquidity and poor consumer sentiments, investors will now look for niche business models to invest in.

Content Is the New Gold - This Ask Me Anything session provided insights for Startups on Content Creation, Brand Building, Customer Engagement & Acquisition through Content, Product /Services Review & Opinions System and Consumer Analytics & Retention in the Social Media World.

Understanding the Challenges of Deploying AI in Retail - AI's impact in retail is being felt across a range of functions and use cases ranging from auto-replenishment and preventing stock-outs, to automated self-checkouts to computer vision-based category analytics. This webinar explored the emerging use cases where AI is seeing deployment benefits, how retailers are evaluating between build vs buy decisions while sourcing and how retailers are navigating complex issues around user adoption, data quality, and data literacy.

Ask Me Anything with Sasha Mirchandani - This session focused on how to survive the COVID situation and understanding the cash position of the company. He stressed on active communication with all stakeholders, the need to hire opportunistically, explore what will drive growth, innovative concepts of work and also dealt with challenges of managing employees/ teams.

TiE Mumbai supported The Economic Times Sales Strategy Summit - It is a virtual summit featuring live appearances and workshops by some of the greatest minds in sales and marketing. The focus of the summit was to learn how to over deliver at every stage to generate thrilled buyers. The summit also looked at key topics such as buyer journey, productive and effective sales technology, diversity and inclusion in sales force and aligning the sales and marketing functions.

About TiE Mumbai

The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), was founded in 1992 in Silicon Valley by a group of successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and senior professionals with roots in the Indus region. Since 1992. TiE has been supporting entrepreneurs by offering education, mentorship, networking and funding opportunities. The mission of TiE is to foster entrepreneurship globally through the 5 pillars of TiE: mentoring, networking and education, funding and incubation. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and giving back to the community. TiE's focus area is to generate enable the next generation of entrepreneurs. There are currently 11,000 members, including over 2,500 charter members in 60 chapters across 17 countries. TiE's mission is to foster entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking, and education. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and giving back to the community, TiE's focus is on generating and nurturing our next generation of entrepreneurs.

Hybrid e-Distribution Platform gets ‘India SME 100 Award’ from Ministry of MSM&E

B2BAdda.com, India’s first hybrid e-distribution platform, has been awarded & acknowledged by Ministry of MSMEs with an ‘India SME 100 Award’ for its innovative services and brilliance in the B2B e-commerce sector. The event was organized by India SME Forum.

A total of 100 companies were honoured with the award for their pioneering work out of the 34,011 companies nominated. In line with the strategy of India SME Forum, the India SME 100 ranking acts as a catalyst to identify promising SMEs and recognize them for eventually becoming large global-oriented companies. The companies were evaluated on the basis of financial and non-financial parameters.

The Award was presented by Mr Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Micro Small and Medium Enterprise
Commenting on the achievement, Mr. Yogesh Bhatia, Founder, B2Badda.com, said, “We are delighted to be recognized as one of the TOP 100 SMEs in India specially in the challenging sector like ours. This award is a testimonial of hard work of our team to make this company a success with strong business values and fundamentals. We are glad to be the only trading and service provider to make it to the list in just a time span of 4 years.”

B2BAdda.com is an exclusive e-distribution partner for Detel Mobiles, LED TVs & Accessories and has recently added new categories like footwear, apparel, household appliances besides Mobile & Tablets, IT Products, and Complete Electronic Product Range. With this, the company plans to add more than 80,000 retailers to its platform by the end of 2020.

B2Badda.com, which started its operations in August 2017, is an exclusive e-Distribution platform for bulk buying, selling for brands, retailers, wholesalers, corporate companies, and institutions.

B2Badda.com is a part of Wow eCarts Pvt. Ltd. (a subsidiary of the S. G. Group). The platform’s reach will soon be deeper, much more comprehensive and detailed as compared to the traditional network. B2Badda.com has strengthened its IT and has a well-built communications network. One can log on to B2Badda through the website or mobile app and can access the entire range of products, avail offers directly, receive doorstep deliveries and pay by Bank transfer, online payments and introducing partner finance facility soon.
The brand provides a single purchasing point window, transparent value pricing, fast shipment and quick delivery, consistent availability of products and easy & multiple payment options.

New Web Portal and Mobile App Launches for Micro and Small Enterprises in India

Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting launched two important initiatives of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (Ministry of MSME), viz. Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council (MSEFC) portal and MyMSME Mobile App on the occasion of the 15th Meeting of the National Board for MSME. Both these initiatives brought online all MSME schemes and 3700 delayed payment cases that involve an amount of Rs. 1650 Crore.

MSEFC Assist in Monitoring of Delayed Payments

Kalraj Mishra said that Micro and Small Enterprises Facilitation Council (MSEFC) portal, would facilitate implementation of the delayed payment provisions of the MSMED Act 2006 and also assist in monitoring of delayed payment cases. This online platform is expected to be a significant step in the direction of Digital India from the perspective of the MSME Sector in the country. With the access to this platform, micro and small enterprises would be able to file their delayed payment related grievances online. The grievance filed would be communicated through email and SMS to the parties involved. It would also help officers of the Ministry of MSME as well as the State Government concerned in monitoring the progress of cases both at the State and National levels.

Mishra also confirmed that most of the States have already uploaded the information regarding delayed payment cases on MSEFC portal. As on 31.03.2017, 3690 cases involving an amount of Rs.1660 crore are being considered by various MSEFCs. In fact, the online portal would be of great help to start-ups since delayed payment is probably the single biggest problem for start-ups.

MyMSME App to Provide Information of All Schemes

To enable the MSMEs to lead in the era of M-Governance, the MyMSME Mobile App has been launched. It provides information on all schemes implemented by the Ministry of MSME at one place. The MSME units have had always been complaining that information on all schemes were not available at a single place. Such a compilation is certainly the need of the hour so as to ensure that entrepreneurs need not be searching multiple windows for help or information.

With the help of MyMSME mobile app Ministry of MSME would be providing one single window to MSMEs to access information on all schemes implemented by the Ministry and as well as apply for any of them. And MSMEs can also lodge grievances pertaining to Ministry of MSME through this app.

Moreover, the ministry of MSME has embarked on the journey to make every scheme online.  Its internet grievance monitoring system has already resolved the grievances of more than 3000 persons.