Mumbai, June 10: Shri Vikas Pansare, IAS, Managing Director, Maharashtra Small Scale Industries Development Corporation Ltd. , said while addressing the 2nd MahaMSMErashtra Empowerment Summit 2026 organised by the ASSOCHAM Maharashtra State Council in Mumbai:
“In the days to come, we will see the MSME department being separated and a dedicated MSME Commissioner being appointed in Maharashtra to help MSMEs grow their businesses and further empower the sector.”
Highlighting the importance of MSMEs in Maharashtra’s economic growth, Shri Pansare said the sector remains the backbone of the economy after agriculture, contributing significantly to employment, exports and GDP growth. He noted that MSMEs will play a decisive role in India’s Vision 2047 journey and stressed the need to strengthen the ecosystem through policy reforms, ease of doing business, digital governance, cluster development, export promotion and skill development. He also highlighted Maharashtra’s leadership in implementing the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance Programme, aimed at improving competitiveness, market access and digital adoption among MSMEs.
Addressing the challenge of access to finance, Shri Pansare said discussions around digital lending, cash flow-based financing, credit guarantees, fintech innovations and alternative funding mechanisms are critical to helping MSMEs move from survival to scale. He added that venture capital, private equity, SME IPOs and family offices are increasingly becoming viable growth avenues for MSMEs and encouraged entrepreneurs to strengthen governance, transparency and compliance standards to attract investment.
Speaking at the summit, Shri Milind Barapatre, IEDS, Joint Director & Head of Office, MSME Development & Facilitation Office , highlighted the scale of India’s MSME ecosystem, stating that the country has over 8.6 crore registered MSMEs generating nearly 33 crore jobs, while Maharashtra alone is home to more than one crore MSMEs. He said continuous awareness initiatives and government support have contributed significantly to the growth in MSME registrations over the past few years.
Shri Barapatre also highlighted several initiatives being undertaken by the Ministry of MSME to strengthen the sector, including support for women entrepreneurs, procurement and marketing assistance schemes, vendor development programmes, digital dispute resolution mechanisms and the reintroduction of the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme . He noted that women entrepreneurs are receiving enhanced support through procurement mandates, reimbursement schemes and entrepreneurship promotion programmes.
In his welcome address, Shri Milind Hardikar, Chair, ASSOCHAM Maharashtra State Council, said Maharashtra continues to be India’s economic powerhouse and is rapidly emerging as a high-value manufacturing hub across sectors such as electric vehicles, defence, aerospace and advanced manufacturing. He highlighted the opportunities arising from global supply chain diversification and increasing integration into global value chains.
Emphasising the aspirations of the sector, Shri Hardikar remarked, “MSMEs are not looking for subsidies. MSMEs are looking for opportunities.” He also called for measures to address challenges related to freight costs, financing, exports and working capital, while creating a more enabling environment for MSMEs to scale and compete globally.
The summit brought together policymakers, industry leaders, financial institutions, investors and entrepreneurs to deliberate on policy ecosystem development, access to finance, exports, quality standards, technology adoption, risk management, SME IPO readiness and other critical growth drivers for Maharashtra’s MSME sector.