SMEpost

Monsoon Session of Parliament | Agendas concerning MSMEs

Carry your umbrellas as the Monsoon Session of Parliament is expected to rain bills. From Goods and Services Tax (GST) to MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, this hot and humid session has a lot on its plate for the MSME Sector.

A total of 11 Bills are pending in the Lok Sabha and there are as many as 45 Bills pending in the Rajya Sabha.

Following the GST Bill, the most important agenda concerning the MSME sector is The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The bill would increase the allowance for investment in MSME manufacturing and services sector. It was introduced in the Lok Sabha by the MSME Minister Kalraj Mishra on April 20, 2015.  The Bill amends the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Act, 2006.

MSME MoS Giriraj Singh had said in 2015 that the MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2015 is to –

Table 1: Comparison of investment limits for enterprises in manufacture/production (in Rs.)

Type of Enterprise MSME Act, 2006 MSME Bill, 2015
Micro 25 lakh 50 lakh
Small 25 lakh to 5 crore 50 lakh to 10 crore
Medium 5 crore to 10 crore 10 crore to 30 crore

Table 2: Comparison of investment limits for enterprises providing services (in Rs.)

Type of Enterprise MSME Act, 2006 MSME Bill, 2015
Micro 10 lakh 20 lakh
Small 10 lakh to 2 crore 20 lakh to 5 crore
Medium 2 crore to 5 crore 5 crore to 15 crore

Source: PRSIndia.org

The concept of facilitating SMEs can be traced back to the Industries Development and Regulation Act, 1961. Under that Act, the government had the power to amend the Act from time to time in order to ensure the development of SMEs.

Subsequently, the MSME Development Act, 2006 was enacted to ensure the promotion and development of small scale industry. It classifies and regulates enterprises as micro, small and medium enterprises. This Act received attention during the ‘Make in India’ campaign of the new government and then bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

Delayed payments also need to be addressed in MSME Bill, 2015. As per the MSME Development Act, 2006, for delayed payment beyond 45 days, the buyer has to pay interest to the MSME supplier at three times the Bank rate and also clearly mention in their annual accounts,  separately, the interest due, paid  and remained unpaid, to the MSME suppliers whose payment is delayed. But there are still a large number of business houses who turn a blind eye when it comes to payment to MSEs.

Recently RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan had said that MSMEs get squeezed all the time by their large buyers, who pay after long delays. So there is a need for strong actions to be taken against those who flout their responsibilities for timely payment to MSMEs in the new amended Act.

Apart from the MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, other relevant bills in the agenda of the Parliament are The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012, The Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014.

Also, the Industrial Relations Code Bill which combines Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, Trade Unions Act, 1926, and the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946 is still stuck in Law Ministry for approval (as sources said) and Small Factories Bill which aims to improve ease of doing business and create an ecosystem for encouraging small businesses was sent to Cabinet months ago for its nod.