Laghu Udyog Bharati

Weekly Insights for Entrepreneurs

MSMEs lead ₹1,900-crore PLI push in air-conditioner, LED manufacturing

More than half of the applicants were MSMEs, the commerce ministry said, adding it indicated their growing confidence in the manufacturing value chain for air-conditioners and LED (light emitting diode) light components.
Nine of these 13 firms plan to make key components for air-conditioners, including compressors, motors, copper tubes, and control assemblies, with a combined investment of ₹1,816 crore, the ministry said. Four others will invest ₹98 crore in LED component manufacturing, such as chips, drivers, and heat sinks.
Spread across six states, 13 districts, and 23 locations, the projects are expected to generate new jobs and deepen regional supply chains.

Panel suggests reforms to make life easy for Small Enterprises

The high-level committee headed by NITI Aayog member Rajiv Gauba has recommended at least 17 reforms, aimed at easing regulatory and financial pressure on MSMEs.
The key recommendations cover credit access, compliance under the Companies Act, tax procedures, payment dispute resolution and CSR donations.
To deal with the problem of MSMEs struggling to operate, for government entities delaying payment of arbitration award or challenging such orders, the committee has recommended strengthening the provision of mandatory pre-appeal deposit of 75% arbitral award value under the MSME Development Act.
The panel has recommended exemption of all micro and small companies from the mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) obligations under the Companies Act.
The panel has favoured removing the mandate for auditor appointment for companies with turnover of less than Rs 1 crore.

Indian states changing rules of biz game, initiate slew of reforms encouraging startups, manufacturing

Driving this transformation from New Delhi is a deregulation cell within the Cabinet Secretariat, which is coordinating efforts with states and tracking progress in real time.
Every state has responded positively to the 23 key reforms outlined in the exercise, with many displaying a clear eagerness to move ahead.
The measures implemented include extending working hours for shops and establishments without altering labour schedules, permitting women to work in hazardous industries or night shifts, lowering thresholds for factory closures, and easing land norms to allow for mixed-use development.
Most states have fully implemented more than 50% of the steps. Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tripura have been at the forefront of implementing these measures.

Startup Common Application Launched On JanSamarth Portal For Loans Up To Rs 20 Crore

The scheme aims to provide financial assistance to startups recognised by DPIIT to foster and finance for innovation, entrepreneurship, development and improvement of products, processes and services.
These are for scaling the business model with a high potential of employment generation or wealth creation and inclusive socio-economic growth.
It also facilitates faster and transparent processing with Permanent Account Number, Goods and Services Tax and Income Tax Return document integration.
The platform also features special concessions for women entrepreneurs.
To be viable for the platform, the age of the startup should not exceed 10 years and/or the turnover should not exceed Rs 100 crore

Electronics Development Fund Invests ₹257.77 Crore In Eight Daughter Funds, Supporting Tech Startups

The Daughter funds supported by EDF have deployed Rs 1,335.77 crore across 128 startups and ventures, which have created or acquired 368 intellectual properties (IPs).
The supported startups operate in frontier areas such as Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics, Drones, Autonomous Vehicles, HealthTech, Cyber Security, and Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, positioning India as a hub for advanced technological innovation.
EDF aims to promote research, development, and entrepreneurship in the fields of electronics, nano-electronics, and information technology. The fund focuses on enhancing India’s capacity for indigenous design and development in the Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) sector.

Cabinet okays Rs 45,000 crore package to support exports, MSMEs amid global headwinds

The package has two components - a ₹25,060 crore Export Promotion Mission (EPM) that will run for six years and a ₹20,000 crore collateral-free Guarantee Scheme for Exporters.
The EPM will be implemented through two sub-schemes ₹10,401 crore Niryat Protsahan and ₹14,659 crore Niryat Disha. The twin export support schemes will run for five years over FY26 to FY31.
The Niryat Protsahan Yojna will seek to improve access to affordable trade finance for MSMEs through a range of instruments such as interest subvention, export factoring, collateral guarantees, credit cards for e-commerce exporters, and credit enhancement support for diversification into new markets.

GST reforms to propel India's FY26 GDP growth to 7.4%, says National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP)

“Largely on the back of robust public sector investment, revival in domestic consumption demand in both the rural and urban areas, goods and services tax (GST) rate rationalisation and the external sector, especially the US performing to its potential, the economy is expected to clock this robust growth,” the economy review said.
Besides, the NIPFP also projected retail inflation at 1.6 per cent in the current financial year, on account of moderating food inflation.
On the trade front, the review noted that most bilateral trade deals primarily benefit the US and called for diversification in the services export as the sector has high exposure and faces “real ” risk in case the net of Trump tariffs widens.

H‑1B jobs now moving to India: How Nano-GCC is fueling $110‑Billion boom

Despite Trump’s tighter H-1B visa rules, multinational firms continue to expand operations in India, drawn by its talent pool, cost advantage, and new state-level incentives.
Currently, India is home to 1,800 GCCs, which range from manufacturing and financial services to technology and analytics. These centres make up more than half of all such facilities globally and contribute around $64.6 billion in export revenue.
The next growth phase will come from smaller setups called “nano-GCCs.” These centres will have less than 100 employees focusing on research, development, and artificial intelligence.
GCC operations in India are no longer limited to US-based firms. Many European and Southeast Asian companies are also setting up companies here, impressed by India’s skilled workforce and lower wages.

'India’s quality-control overhaul has finally begun...': Amitabh Kant on Centre’s move to scrap 76 QCOs

Kant said the government’s decision reflects a deliberate shift towards supporting businesses, improving ease of manufacturing, and enhancing India’s global competitiveness. “This marks India’s willingness to continuously recalibrate regulation to align with economic vitality and support growth, MSMEs, and their integration into global value chains,” he added.
The rollback was triggered largely by a Niti Aayog assessment that found the QCO regime misplaced, arguing that imposing strict standards on raw materials instead of finished products had created avoidable bottlenecks.
According to the think tank, the rules pushed up raw-material costs by 10–30% compared with global prices because only a handful of domestic manufacturers were certified and international suppliers faced long delays in securing BIS licences.

Labour ministry launches Digital Labour Chowk, links it with VBRY

The Union labour ministry launched the Digital Labour Chowk mobile application, a multilingual platform that will connect workers with employers digitally for transparent and efficient job matching, reducing dependence on middlemen and unsafe waiting on the streets.
The mobile application was launched by Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya at the two-day labour minister’s conference.
“The model of Labour Chowk Facilitation Centres (LCFCs) was presented, which will convert unsafe roadside gathering points into structured hubs offering shelter, drinking water, sanitation, and direct access to welfare services like registration and health camps,” the statement by the labour ministry said.

IIT Indore develops advanced cryogenic sensor for space:ISRO-linked research creates high-sensitivity optical fibre solution for spacecraft cryogenic systems and LNG applications

The sensor has been developed at the Mechatronics and Instrumentation Lab of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The project is underway in close collaboration with ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) under the RESPOND programme, with three joint patents currently being processed.
The IIT Indore team has used Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) coatings on optical fibres. SMAs can operate across a wide temperature span. When applied to optical fibres, they amplify the change in the optical signal, resulting in significantly improved sensitivity at cryogenic temperatures.
The newly developed sensor can be deployed in various cryogenic systems, including:

• Monitoring LNG pipelines and storage tanks up to –180°C
• Detecting leaks, flow rates and liquid levels
• Assessing thermal health of launch vehicle components
• Measuring temperature and liquid levels in spacecraft fuel tanks, even under vacuum and microgravity.

New CSIR-NIIST tech turns waste to wealth

A new technology to make strong bricks, paving tiles, interlocks and other construction products using waste sand byproducts has been developed at CSIR-NIIST (National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology) as part of the waste-to-wealth programme.
The institute developed the process to make bricks by studying the reactivity of foundry waste sand with cement, lime, gypsum and polymer-modified binders.
The biggest advantage of the brick products is that they avoid the usage of natural raw materials like clay, M-Sand and gravel. The cement bonding and compression moulding produce high-strength bricks as per the IS 1077 standards. The bricks can also be shaped in aesthetically appealing colours for architectural interior design.

Breakthrough In Quantum Sensing: IIT Bombay Develops India's First Indigenous Quantum Diamond Microscope For 3D Magnetic Imaging

Led by Professor Kasturi Saha, the P-Quest Group’s QDM is built on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in diamond — atomic-scale defects where a nitrogen atom replaces one carbon and sits next to a vacancy.
These NV centres maintain quantum coherence even at room temperature, making them highly sensitive to variations in magnetic, electric, and thermal fields.
The QDM’s potential applications span across neuroscience, materials science, and semiconductor diagnostics, offering non-destructive 3D mapping of buried current paths and multilayer charge flow in complex electronic circuits.

DRDO develops new autonomous underwater vehicles for mine countermeasure missions

Developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) in Visakhapatnam, the autonomous system consists of multiple AUVs equipped with Side Scan Sonar and underwater cameras as primary payloads to detect and classify mine-like objects in real time.
The system offers faster response, lower operational risks, and a smaller logistics footprint for naval mine warfare operations.
The MP-AUVs employ deep learning-based target recognition algorithms for autonomous classification, reducing operator workload and overall mission time.
The system also integrates an underwater acoustic communication network that allows AUVs to exchange data during operations, enhancing situational awareness.

CSIR-Neeri hands over India’s first-of-its-kind faecal sludge plant to Chandrapur Municipal Corporation

Marking a major breakthrough in India's sanitation and waste-management sector, CSIR-NEERI has formally handed over the country's first-of-its-kind faecal sludge and septage management (FSSM) plant.
The facility, powered by NEERI's indigenously developed Mechanical Dewatering & Drying System (MDDS), is designed to convert faecal sludge into high-quality organic manure that meets the Fertiliser Control Order (FCO) standards.
The MDDS technology is indigenously developed and implemented by CSIR-NEERI under the IN–EU Horizon 2020 programme, with support from CSIR-NEERI and department of science & technology, Govt. of India, under the project ‘PAVITR'

Major Milestone For India's First Manned Space Mission: ISRO Successfully Validates Gaganyaan Crew Module’s Parachute System In Extreme Test

The Gaganyaan Crew Module’s parachute system comprises 10 parachutes of four types, designed to ensure a safe and stable descent of astronauts returning to Earth.
The sequence begins with two apex cover separation parachutes that remove the protective cover of the parachute compartment, followed by two drogue parachutes to stabilize and slow down the module.
Once released, three pilot parachutes deploy three main parachutes, which further decelerate the module for a safe landing.
The successful completion of this test marks another significant step toward qualifying the parachute system for human spaceflight.

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