SKOCH Group conducted a national level multi-institutional survey of MSMEs in India in collaboration with Federation of Indian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (FISME); Bhartiya Vitta Salahkar Samiti (BVSS); and, Tax Law Educare Society (TALES).
The Survey was conducted in two parts: the first survey was conducted on 22 April 2020 and the second, on 25 April 2020.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have been badly hit due to the lock down and are in an urgent need of relief and stimulus support from the government. There are multiple institutions meant to regulate and facilitate small businesses in the country. An industry survey reveals that the multiplicity of institution are proving counter-productive and as a result hardly any support is reaching to the small businesses in this time of crisis.
Majority of the MSMEs don’t have money to pay salaries to their employees for April month and thereafter and they have not been able to avail the benefits of emergency funds through the banks, an industry survey has revealed.
In order to provide support to the businesses impacted due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the government has notified all state-owned lenders to offer emergency credit lines to corporate borrowers.
According to SKOCH Survey, the MSMEs overwhelmingly support creation of one integrated electronic platform to identify, implement and monitor financial support. This comes against the backdrop of ineffectiveness of the existing institutions meant to provide support.
Such institutions include Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI), State Finance Corporations, State Small Industries Development Corporations and District Industries Centres, among others.
A majority 64 percent of the MSMEs who took part in the survey said they don’t have funds for paying salaries to their employees for the month of April 2020. Only 24.2 percent MSMEs said they have funds for paying April month salary, while 11.8 percent opted for can’t say (Fig: 1).
Questions are being raised how come the businesses don’t have funds to pay even salaries just because of one month of lock down. However, such arguments ignore the facts that small businesses were under pressure even before the Covid-19 outbreak. Lock down has further complicated the problem. Furthermore, on the question of if salaries are becoming an issue, how many employees the MSMEs will reduce given the current situation, 29 percent replied saying they would reduce strength to 50 percent (Fig: 2); 36 percent indicated job losses of up to 25 percent; 31 percent did not favour job losses at all, while 4 percent talked about 100 percent lay-offs (Fig: 3).
The irony is despite the existence of so many institutions none of them seem to be able to provide the support in a transparent and effective manner. SIDBI is supposed to be the leading institution in providing support to the small businesses. When asked whether they have availed any benefit from SIDBI in the last three years, 91 percent of the respondents replied in negative. Only 4 percent said that they have availed benefits from SIDBI, while 5 percent opted for can’t say (Fig: 4).
Only 22 percent of the respondents said that SIDBI is the best institution to help MSMEs, while 35 percent said no and 43 percent opted for can’t say (Fig: 5). Not just during this crisis, SIDBI’s record has been wanting on other occasions.
Low performance of its Trade Receivable Discounting System (TReDS) is a manifestation of it. In 2017, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued licences for TReDS to three players – Receivables Exchange of India Ltd (RXIL), Invoicemart and M1Xchange. RXIL is a joint venture between SIDBI and National Stock Exchange (NSE). Invoicemart is promoted by A Treds Ltd (a joint venture of Axis Bank and Mjunction Services). M1Xchange is promoted by Mynd Solutions Private Limited.
Receivables Exchange of India Ltd (RXIL) started operations in January 2017 and has discounted just over 81,000 invoices, with the total transacted value of Rs 3,331 crore. It has 445 corporates (including PSUs), 1,521 MSMEs, and 35 banks and NBFCs on board.
The two other platforms have done comparatively better. Axis Bank-promoted Invoicemart has become the first one to cross $1 billion in business volume. It crossed this mark on 4 March 2020. It has over 4,522 MSME sellers, 603 buyers and 37 financiers. Invoicemart has processed discounting of 4.80 lakh MSME invoices. M1xchange claimed in December 2019 that its business crossed Rs 5,000 crore. The overall performance of overall Trade Receivable Discounting System (TReDS) has been sub-optimal compared to the market potential and need for credit. Despite strong institutional backing, The Receivables Exchange of India Ltd has been a laggard.
Even before the Covid-19 outbreak and the resultant lock down the situation of MSMEs in the country was precarious. There had been demands and promises of financial and other support for the small businesses. However, it seems such demands and promises just remained on paper or talks. 80 percent of the MSMEs who took part in the poll said they have received no financial benefit from any government scheme in the past three years. Only 14 percent said they have received financial support from the government, while 6 percent opted for can’t say (Fig: 6).
For the success of such a scheme it is imperative that the government create an integrated electronic platform. The integrated platform should work on the lines of DBT. Integrating Jan-Dhan, mobile and Aadhaar have ensured that the benefits reach to the target without leakages.
The integrated platform meant for the MSMEs should integrate GSTN and Income Tax data. This would help eliminate leakages and provide the relief in a timely and efficient manner.
One major hurdle in reaching out to the MSMEs is the way of identification. The present definition of MSMEs based on investments made in plant and machineries is not effective. We must change the definition of MSMEs. We should base it on turnover. The turnover data can be accessed almost on a real-time basis through GSTN and income tax platform.
When asked ‘what do you think is the best way to identify MSMEs to provide help, only 6 percent opted for investments. This clearly shows that the overwhelming majority want the definition to change. 29 percent said the identification of the MSMEs should be based on turnover and 6 percent said it should be based on the number of employees. A majority 59 percent said we should define the MSMEs based on a combination of factors (Fig: 7).
Majority of the respondents (77 percent) said they won’t survive without the government financial help. Only 6 percent replied in affirmative when asked whether their business will survive without the government financial help. 17 percent opted for can’t say (Fig: 8).
Several entrepreneurs demanded that the government should provide a full waiver of interest on working capital and term loans in line with the loan waiver support provided to farmers frequently across the country (Fig: 9). 90 percent favoured 24 month moratorium (Fig: 10).
89 percent asked for collateral-free credit on the basis of invoices raised (Fig: 11) and 65 percent respondents demanded EMI holiday for two years (Fig: 12). Instead of the scattered and piecemeal approach the MSMEs want, the government support should come in a consolidated form and get transferred directly to them. When asked “do you think there should be a consolidated financial help from one ministry directly transferred to MSMEs” 86 percent replied in affirmative. Only 7 percent replied in the negative, while the rest 7 percent opted for can’t say (Fig: 13). Government payments have been one of the major reasons why MSMEs are suffering. 96 percent respondents wanted the payments from government and PSUs released instantly (Fig: 14). A majority of respondents – 79 percent – demanded twice as much enhancement in their credit limits. (Fig: 15)
According to the SKOCH survey, 90.7 percent MSMEs have not availed COVID Emergency Fund through banks. Only 7.5 percent of the respondents said they have availed COVID Emergency Fund and 1.9 percent opted for can’t say option implying they might not have heard about it.
The survey revealed that the benefits of the scheme have not reached most of the small businesses. Of the total respondents, 68.6 percent said there is need to create emergency funds to help the small businesses. Only 13.2 percent said there is no need to create emergency funds, while 18.2 percent opted for can’t say (Fig: 16).
The country is under unprecedented lock down because of COVID-19 outbreak. As a result, majority of the businesses are shut. Small businesses are the worst hit because of the lock down.
While the small businesses are facing an unprecedented crisis and many of them are staring at collapse, there is hardly any government support. 72.7 percent of the respondents said they have not availed government’s scheme for paying provident fund for employees. Only 6.8 percent said that they have availed government’s scheme for paying provident fund for employees while 20.5 percent said it is not applicable (Fig: 17).
<!– wp:cgb/block-ichart-free-block {“shortcode”:”[qcld-ichart label=u0022No,Yes,Not Applicableu0022 aspectratio=u00221u0022 value=u002273,7,20u0022 type=u0022pieu0022 title=u0022Fig 17. Have you availed Government scheme for paying provident fund for employer and employees?u
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