New Delhi, Feb. 1 -- In her ninth consecutive Union Budget,Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister, Government of India, placed Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) at the center of India's growth strategy, outlining a three-pronged framework to help them evolve into "champions".

The approach, anchored around equity, liquidity, and professional support, reflects the government's intent to move MSMEs beyond survival capital toward scale, resilience, and formal integration into India's economic engine.

At the core of the proposal is a dedicated Rs.10,000-crore SME Growth Fund, aimed at incentivising enterprises based on defined performance and growth criteria. The fund is positioned to support job creation and help select MSMEs trans...