Laghu Udyog Bharati

Weekly Insights for Entrepreneurs

PM Vishwakarma to enter next phase with focus on credit & marketing push

Under the marketing support component, the government is likely to tie up with one of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) for market research and finding new opportunities in geographies for artisan products.
For e-commerce support, the government is likely to promote artisans' products on Grameen E-store, along with a partnership with export associations to help rural entrepreneurs. The artisans will also be encouraged to diversify their products.
On the credit front, the beneficiaries under the scheme will be encouraged to opt for the second tranche of Rs 2 lakh to grow their business. The scheme has enrolled 3 million beneficiaries three years ahead of its FY28 target year.

CERT-In makes annual cyber audits mandatory for MSMEs

The new mandate, issued on September 1, establishes a minimum cybersecurity baseline tailored to smaller organizations while aligning with July’s broader audit policy that applied to both public and private entities.
MSMEs are now required to report cyber incidents within six hours of detection, conduct annual vulnerability assessments, and provide ongoing employee training on cyber risks.
With ransomware, phishing campaigns, and supply-chain compromises on the rise, CERT-In has underlined that MSMEs are no longer peripheral actors in India’s digital economy but central nodes that could expose vulnerabilities across sectors

India Charts Bold Textile Growth Path with MSME Exporters at the Forefront

Vision 2030 – which sets ambitious goals: 1) USD 100 billion in textile exports. 2) USD 250 billion domestic market size.
The Minister stressed that the 5F vision—Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign—remains the roadmap for integrating India’s traditional strengths with modern competitiveness.
The Union Minister of Textiles stressed that these targets will be achieved by leveraging market diversification, innovation, structural reforms, deeper domestic demand, and a reinvigorated Swadeshi movement. Central to this vision are India’s artisans, weavers, MSMEs, and women entrepreneurs who carry forward the sector’s legacy.
With the government and industry moving in alignment, the Minister expressed confidence that India’s textile sector is poised to become a global leader across the value chain—from farms to global fashion stores.

Defence Procurement Manual 2025 revised to boost pvt sector, MSME & startup participation in procurement

In a major policy shift aimed at fostering self-reliance and accelerating defence modernisation, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved the Defence Procurement Manual (DPM) 2025, which explicitly allows for active participation of private players, MSMEs, and startups in the revenue procurement processes.
The revised manual, which comes after more than a decade since the last version was issued in 2009, is designed to streamline, simplify, and rationalise revenue procurement across the Armed Forces, the MoD announced in a statement on Sunday. With the procurement under the Revenue Head (Operations & Sustenance Segment) estimated at ₹1 lakh crore for FY 2025-26, the DPM 2025 represents a significant opportunity for the domestic industry.

The co-intelligence revolution: How humans + AI will reshape startups and enterprises

"Until now, to program computers you needed a programming language. I learned Fortran way back then, or you had to use Python. But today anyone can simply speak to a system in natural language and it responds. That’s completely transformative.”
This democratisation of technology is what Ramaswamy calls co-intelligence—a new paradigm where humans and AI work together to unlock value, not just efficiency. For entrepreneurs, this is a wake-up call: the barrier to creating solutions has never been lower, but the responsibility to design for real human value has never been higher.
Looking ahead, Ramaswamy is convinced that the real opportunity lies inside enterprises and ecosystems, where AI is used to transform workflows, unlock data, and create new flows of value. At the same time, societal applications—from agriculture to healthcare—offer pathways to inclusive growth.

India's semiconductor market is expected to reach $103.5 billion by 2030

With the rise in demand for electric vehicles, 5G rollouts, and the rapid buildout of data centres, the market for advanced chips is set for an unprecedented expansion, with the hyperscale capacity expected to grow by more than 75 per cent by 2030 and EVs targeted to make up nearly a third of all new vehicles.
India's semiconductor global capabilities centres (GCCs) are no longer back-end support units. Almost half of new chip programmes now include AI accelerators, and one-third of verification teams are using machine learning.
India already has more than 250,000 semiconductor professionals, with 43,000 new postings in 2024-25.
This pool is projected to grow by over 120 per cent to nearly 400,000 by 2030, making India the world's second-largest semiconductor talent hub after the US.

India's auto-component industry to touch $200 bn by 2030: McKinsey

The report, titled ‘Shaping the future of India’s auto component industry amid global trade shifts’ highlighted that geopolitical and structural changes have been redrawing global trade patterns, with an estimated $12 trillion to $14 trillion in trade expected to shift across trade corridors by 2035.
“India is now emerging as a key player in this realignment, helped by its cost competitiveness, skilled workforce, and growing domestic market,” the report said, adding that this is evidenced by a steady expansion of opportunities in the domestic and export markets and a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 10 per cent over the past five years in the Indian auto component industry.
The two pillars driving this growth are a $20 billion to $30 billion internal combustion engine (ICE) export opportunity by 2030 as global markets consolidate, and a 35 per cent CAGR in domestic electric vehicle (EV) sales in line with rising worldwide electrification and connectivity.

Strong domestic demand: Fitch revises India’s GDP growth outlook upwards to 6.9%; expects another RBI rate cut this year

Domestic demand will be the key driver of growth, as strong real income dynamics support consumer spending and looser financial conditions should feed through to investment.
India’s economic activity showed significant momentum, with real GDP growth climbing to 7.8% yoy in April-June quarter from 7.4% in January-March, notably exceeding the 6.7% projection in the June estimates of Fitch.
PMI indicators suggest strong economic performance ahead, supported by improved industrial production in July. The implementation of Goods and Services Tax reforms from September 22 is anticipated to provide modest support to consumer spending through the current and subsequent fiscal periods, says Fitch.
Fitch is of the view that while the 50% US tariffs on India add short-term uncertainty, in the long-term a trade deal is likely to be negotiated.

Incentive scheme in the works: Construction gear production likely to get Rs 16k crore buildup

Proposals for supporting the indigenisation of construction equipment, tunnel boring machines and cranes have been initiated, said officials aware of the matter.
India\’s mining and construction equipment industry imports nearly half its components by value from China, Japan, South Korea and Germany, among others.
Indian mining and construction industry’s localisation share could increase to 70-80% over the next five-seven years from less than half now. This has the potential of becoming a $25 billion market in annual revenue, translating into $3 billion in foreign exchange savings annually.
Imported components include hydraulics, undercarriages and high-tech components such as electronic control units (ECUs), sensors and telematics.

India may grant 20-year tax exemption, GST credit to supercharge data centres

The government is considering a tax exemption of up to 20 years for data centre developers, provided they meet targets on capacity addition, energy efficiency, and job creation, according to a draft of the National Data Centre Policy.
The draft policy, now circulated among stakeholders for consultation, is designed to position India as a global hub for cloud infrastructure, AI modelling, and digital services at a time when demand for storage and computing power is skyrocketing.
The draft policy also outlines how the government wants to tackle two of the sector’s biggest bottlenecks: land and power.

HAL to build SSLV under ISRO tech transfer pact, marking IN-SPACe’s 100th agreement

This agreement is part of that movement, where ISRO will guide the HAL team on the preparedness-to-flight tangent of SSLV. This would define the next phase of deep-tech collaboration in space in India.
Dr Pawan Kumar Goenka, Chairman, IN-SPACe, said, “The SSLV transfer signals a vital leap towards strengthening the industrial ecosystem within India\’s space sector. The partnership reflects the Central government’s vision to empower the space industry and establish India as a global hub for affordable and reliable launch services. HAL will now independently take up the realisation of SSLV and cater to both domestic and international markets.
ISRO said that the SSLV was developed by ISRO as a quick turnaround, on-demand launch vehicle that is amenable to industrial production and is targeted to capture the global small satellite launch vehicle market.

IIT-Kanpur creates sensor to find how meds activate vital receptors

Researchers at IIT-Kanpur have created a groundbreaking antibody-based biosensor that can track the activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in live cells. GPCRs, the largest family of receptor proteins in human cells, are targeted by over a third of all prescribed medications, making this innovation significant for medical research and drug development.
The new biosensor represents a significant milestone in overcoming the technical challenges of monitoring receptor activation inside living cells.
GPCRs typically remain inactive until they receive a signal, such as light, hormones, or small molecules, that activates them to transmit signals across the cell membrane.
"The beauty of this biosensor is that it does not require any modification of GPCRs, and still, it can report their activation by ligands. This opens up possibilities for imaging these receptors in disease contexts," said Prof. Shukla.

India's New 'Eye in the Sky': How DRDO's anti-stealth radar is changing defense forever

This isn't just another radar system; it's a technological marvel born from the collaboration between Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) that can detect the world's most advanced stealth aircraft, including the F-35, B-2 bombers, and China's J-20 fighters, at distances up to 400 kilometres.
The DRDO-BEL VHF-SR system can detect not just stealth aircraft but also stealth drones and other low-observable targets that traditional radars struggle with. By investing in anti-stealth radar technology, India can neutralize the stealth advantage of enemy aircraft at a fraction of the cost. The radar system is mounted on TATA 6x6 high-mobility vehicles, making it completely mobile. It can be deployed anywhere within 20 minutes and operate in challenging terrains, from deserts to mountains.

IIT Indore develops low-cost blood cancer drug

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore has made an important breakthrough in treating blood cancer, especially Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).
Currently, ALL is treated with a drug called L-asparaginase. But its current forms can cause serious side effects, including liver damage, allergic reactions, and nervous system problems.
Professor Avinash Sonawane and his team from IIT Indore's Department of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering have developed a new engineered version of L-asparaginase, designed to reduce these side effects.
Research has now reached the level of technology transfer.

IIT Dhanbad Develops Indigenous 'APEC 1' Chip To Power Smart Glasses For Visually Impaired

The Department of Electronics and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Dhanbad (Indian School of Mines), has developed the indigenous integrated circuit 'APEC 1' under the leadership of Professor Rajiv Kumar Ranjan.
The 'APEC 1' chip has been specifically designed for use in smart glasses for visually impaired individuals. Rajeev explained that the chip can be used in applications requiring data storage and low-power, high-frequency performance, such as CPUs, SNM architecture, and defence systems. With minor architectural modifications, it can be adapted to meet various requirements.
The chip has been named 'Memristor Emulator' and is designed for low power consumption. He mentioned that the chip can operate for two days on a single charge.

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