MSME stands for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. In a developing country like India, MSME industries are the backbone of the economy. When these industries grow, the economy of the country grows as a whole and flourishes. This sector is the job creator as well as plays a crucial role in providing large-scale employment and industrialization of rural and backward areas. These industries are also known as small-scale industries or SSI’s.
Even if the Company is in the manufacturing line or the service line, registrations for both these areas can be obtained through the MSME act. This registration is not yet made mandatory by the Government but it is beneficial to get one’s business registered under this because it provides a lot of benefits in terms of taxation, setting up the business, credit facilities, loans etc.
The MSME became operational on October 02, 2006. It was established to promote, facilitate and develop the competitiveness of the micro, small and medium enterprises.
GST is not compulsory for enterprises that do not require a GST registration under the GST law. However, the enterprises that need to compulsorily obtain GST registration under the GST regime need to have GST registration for obtaining Udyam Registration.
Those who have UAM registration or any other registration issued by any authority under the Ministry of MSME, will have to re-register themselves in the Udyam Registration Portal by clicking on the “For New Entrepreneurs who are not Registered yet as MSME or those with EM-II”.
The enterprises having UAM registration need to migrate to Udyam Registration by 31/12/2021. If the entrepreneurs having UAM registration do not migrate to Udyam Registration by 31/12/2021, the UAM registration will be invalid and they will not be able to receive the benefits provided to the MSMEs.
The MSME Registration can be obtained by applying only on the Udyam portal. There are no fees charged for filling and submitting the MSME registration form. The MSME registration is totally free on the Udyam portal.
After submitting the MSME registration form online, a message of successful registration with a reference number will appear. The Ministry of MSME will issue the Udyam Registration certificate or MSME certificate to the email ID of the entrepreneur after verification of the registration form submitted on the portal.
The entrepreneurs can also download the MSME certificate online by visiting the Udyam Registration portal. The process to get the MSME registration certificate online is as follows:
The MSME registration certificate will appear and you can print the MSME registration certificate from the page. An entrepreneur can check the MSME registration number from the reference number given after the submission of the MSME registration form.
For getting the MSME registration number, an entrepreneur needs to click on the ‘Verify Udyam Registration Number’ option under the ‘Print/Verify’ tab on the homepage. A new page will open and the entrepreneurs have to enter the reference number, captcha code and click on ‘Verify’ button. The details of the MSME along with the MSME registration number will appear on the screen.
Although, there is no compulsion to get MSME registration but is always advised to do so as it provides lots of benefits to the enterprises registered under MSME Act. It will save you from a lot of inconveniences later on. After assigning you the Provisional MSME Certificate and you can begin with your production and even apply for a Permanent Certificate which will add more advantages for you. Always apply for provisional registration at an initial stage of the business.
SSI/MSME registration is totally voluntary. Businessmen and entrepreneurs usually get this done to utilise the advantages offered under it. The registration process is quite easy and simple. You can easily avail it (provided you have a manufacturing plant or a commercial space where you render services), many businesses opt for it over other registrations.
It is advisable to get a Provisional SSI Registration Certificate (PRC) before starting your operation in your enterprise. The PRC will work smoothly for you and will help you out with particular NOCs and clearances from regulatory bodies.
If your business or enterprise is listed under Schedule –III of Industrial Licensing Exemption Notification, then you can easily apply for PRC without an industrial license. Other units must first acquire an industrial license. All the clearances should be obtained by enterprise whether it is statutory or administrative. For example, a drug license under the drug control order, if required. The PRC is issued based on the application form. No field enquiry is made.
The validation of a PRC is for 5 years and if the unit is still not under operational then you may still re-apply for it. As soon as you start with your operations, you can easily apply for the Permanent License
MSMEs are recognised by all the institutions and banks. Special schemes are drafted to recognise them as well. Banks prefer MSMEs instead of normal enterprises to lend loans. The possibility of getting a sanctioned loan is much higher in a case of MSME. Bank loan interest rates will also be lower. There may also be preferential treatment in case of delay in repayment.
Many state governments prefer enterprises which are registered under MSMED Act. Subsidy such as on power, taxes, and much more is offered by state governments. In most of the states, sales tax exemption is provided purchase preferences is given on goods produced. The enterprise may also relish excise exemption scheme and exemption from certain direct taxes in the initial years of your business.
While computing the value of Plant and Machinery, only original value is asked to be taken into account as per the MSME notification.
Certain trust such as Credit Guarantee Fund Trust has been set up by Ministry of MSME, Government of India and SIDBI, so that there won’t be any breakage in the flow of credit to the MSE sector without any interference from the third party. The scheme is solidified on the basis that the lender should give importance to project viability and secure the credit facility purely on the primary security of the assets financed. Cluster based approach to lending is intended to provide a full-service approach to cater to the diverse needs of the MSE sector which may be achieved through extending banking services to recognised MSE clusters. The banks have, therefore, been advised to treat it as a thrust area and increasingly adopt the same for SME financing. Banks are always asked to take appropriate steps so that the flow of credit is smoothly done to the identified clusters of micro and small entrepreneurs from the Minorities Communities residing in the minority concentrated districts of the country. The CGTMSE would provide cover for credit facility up to Rs. 100 lakh which have been extended by lending institutions without any collateral security. A nominal annual fee is charged by the CGTMSE to avail of the guarantee cover.
Credit rating is an estimate to figure out the capability of an enterprise to meet all the financial needs based on the previous year dealings. Although credit rating is not compulsive but it is in the interest of the MSE borrowers to get their credit rating done as it would help in credit pricing of the loans taken by them from banks.
