SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir recorded the highest number of micro enterprises assisted under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) among Union Territories during the last three financial years, with 32,765 units receiving assistance and an estimated 2,62,120 jobs generated, according to data placed by the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The data showed that 15,065 enterprises were assisted in JK in 2023-24, followed by 9,863 in 2024-25 and 7,837 in 2025-26. The corresponding margin money subsidy stood at Rs 282.50 crore, Rs 239.41 crore and Rs 155.45 crore, taking the three-year total to Rs 677.36 crore.
The estimated employment generated through these units was 1,20,520 in 2023-24, 78,904 in 2024-25 and 62,696 in 2025-26, totalling 2,62,120 over the period.
Ladakh assisted 439 micro enterprises under PMEGP during the same period—122 in 2023-24, 135 in 2024-25 and 182 in 2025-26. The margin money subsidy totalled Rs 20.72 crore, while estimated employment generation stood at 3,512.
JK’s three-year PMEGP total was significantly higher than the national average. Against 2,15,320 micro enterprises assisted across States and UTs during the period, the average was about 5,981 units per State/UT. JK’s 32,765 units were therefore more than five times that average and accounted for about 15.2 per cent of the national total. Its 2025-26 figure of 7,837 units also placed it among the leading States and UTs, behind only Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the data provided.
However, the number of units assisted in JK declined for the second consecutive year, falling from 15,065 in 2023-24 to 9,863 in 2024-25 and 7,837 in 2025-26. Despite the decline, JK remained well ahead of the national annual average of about 6,667 units in 2025-26.
The ministry also reported strong credit guarantee activity in JK. Under the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Micro and Small Enterprises, 53,295 guarantees worth Rs 2,415 crore were approved in 2023-24, followed by 47,201 guarantees worth Rs 2,816 crore in 2024-25 and 48,736 guarantees worth Rs 3,633 crore in 2025-26. The three-year total was 1,49,232 guarantees involving Rs 8,864 crore.
Ladakh recorded 1,923 credit guarantees worth Rs 298 crore over the three years—637 guarantees worth Rs 84 crore in 2023-24, 709 worth Rs 98 crore in 2024-25 and 577 worth Rs 116 crore in 2025-26.
Under the MSME Champions Scheme, JK recorded a substantial rise in ZED certifications, from 771 in 2023-24 to 1,954 in 2024-25 and 6,981 in 2025-26. The Union Territory also recorded five ideas approved in 2025-26, while design projects and IP reimbursements remained limited during the period. Ladakh recorded four ZED certifications in 2023-24 and two in 2024-25, while its Lean certifications stood at four, 22 and six respectively over the three years.
The data on the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) programme showed that JK had 31,988 MSME beneficiaries under different projects of its Strategic Investment Plan. Ladakh recorded 1,416 beneficiaries.
Nationally, the PMEGP assisted 89,118 micro enterprises in 2023-24, 59,708 in 2024-25 and 66,494 in 2025-26. The total margin money subsidy over the three years was Rs 7,753.22 crore, with estimated employment generation of 17,22,560.
The Union Government said PMEGP is implemented through the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, while the Credit Guarantee Scheme is implemented through the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE). The MSME Champions and RAMP programmes are also being implemented across the country.
The government said the Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises mandates Central Ministries, Departments and Central Public Sector Enterprises to procure 25 per cent of their annual goods and services requirement from MSEs.
The Ministry has established 65 Export Facilitation Centres through its field offices across the country, including five in Maharashtra, to provide mentoring and handholding support to MSMEs seeking to export their products and services. The Procurement and Marketing Support Scheme also provides financial assistance for participation in trade fairs and exhibitions, vendor development programmes, workshops and seminars, barcode adoption, packaging improvements and digital marketing.
The government further said a notification issued on June 30, 2026, mandated all Central Public Sector Enterprises to onboard at least one Trade Receivables Discounting System platform. It also noted that the Union Cabinet had approved a Rs 5,000 crore equity infusion into SIDBI in three tranches, of which the first tranche of Rs 3,000 crore was released in March 2026 to strengthen its capital base and support continued MSME credit growth.
