New Delhi, July 22 (IANS) Gujarat has witnessed registration of 37,56,390 new Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the last five years, said Union Minister of State for MSMEs, Shobha Karandlaje, in the Parliament.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Karandlaje said that during the same period, 8,779 MSMEs have closed down in the state.

“As per data from Udyam Registration Portal, a total number of 8,779 MSMEs have closed in Gujarat and a total of 2,892 MSMEs have closed in Andhra Pradesh from 01.07.2020 till 15.07.2025, whereas in the same period, the number of new registrations of MSMEs in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh is 37,56,390 and 33,78,109 respectively,” the Union Minister stated.

She also highlighted a number of initiatives taken by the government to support the MSME sector in the country.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi told the Rajya Sabha that more than 34 crore people have gained employment through MSMEs since 2014 via the Udyam and Udyam Assist portals.

Responding to a question in the Upper House, the Minister of MSMEs said there is no shortage of funds or workers in the sector. He also cited examples of traditional workers, such as cobblers, who have received financial support under schemes like the PM Vishwakarma Yojana.

The number of MSMEs in India has crossed 6 crore, the minister said, adding that lending to the sector has surged from Rs 12 lakh crore a decade ago to around Rs 30 lakh crore.

In his Budget speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that the guarantee cover for MSME loans would be doubled to Rs 20 crore. The government also plans to roll out customised credit cards with a Rs 5 lakh limit to meet working capital needs.

–IANS

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