Technology-enabled loan processes to the rescue
India has always been a land of intrepid entrepreneurs. There have been dark decades wherein entrepreneurs, big and small alike, have actually had to swim through difficult economic currents with their hands and legs tied by archaic policies. Fortunately, the tides are turning in their favour. According to the Ease of Doing Business 2020 report by Quartz India, India has jumped 14 places and now occupies the 63rd rank among 190 countries on World Bank’s ease of doing business ranking. This is a testimony to the various programmes and policies instituted by the Government of India to promote and support the spirit of entrepreneurship.
Enabling ecosystem
In her Budget 2020 speech, Nirmala Sitharaman, the honourable Finance Minister of India stated, “The Indian spirit of entrepreneurship which weathered several storms over the centuries inspire and motivate us. We recognise the need to support and further energise this spirit.” In an effort to facilitate Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and digital start-ups, she announced a number of proposals that would directly or indirectly facilitate them in their ventures.
She proposed a scheme to provide subordinate debt for entrepreneurs of MSMEs, an amendment that would enable Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) to extend invoice financing to MSMEs through the Trade Receivable Discounting systems (TReDS), the introduction of an app-based invoice financing loans product, the promotion of a digital platform that could facilitate seamless application and capture of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), amongst other measures to make the enterprise eco-system more business friendly.
Most important, in an endeavour to give impetus to the Digital India initiative, the government increased the outlay for the programme to Rs 3,958 crore for FY2020-21, marking a 23% increase in the total funds allocated to this programme compared to the previous year. This increase is aimed provide a much-needed fillip to digital ecosystem and infrastructure by giving a boost to IT and IT-enabled services and thus empower businesses and individuals.
Challenges persist