RBI/2006-2007/306
RPCD.PLNFS. BC.No.63/ 06.02.31/ 2006-07
April 4, 2007
The Chairman/
Managing Director/
Chief Executive Officer
All Scheduled Commercial Banks
All Regional Rural Banks/Local Area Banks
Dear Sir,
Credit flow
to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Sector
Please refer
to Paragraph No.2 of our circular RPCD.PLFNS.BC.No.31/
06.02.31/ 2005-06 dated August 19, 2005 wherein the definition of Small
and Medium Enterprise had been indicated as reproduced below:
" At
present, a small scale industrial unit is an undertaking in which investment
in plant and machinery, does not exceed Rs.1crore, except in respect of certain
specified items under hosiery, hand tools, drugs and pharmaceuticals, stationery
items and sports goods, where this investment limit has been enhanced to Rs.5
crore. A comprehensive legislation which would enable the paradigm shift from
small scale industry to small and medium enterprises is under consideration
of Parliament. Pending enactment of the above legislation, current SSI/ tiny
industries definition may continue. Units with investment in plant and machinery
in excess of SSI limit and up to Rs. 10 crore may be treated as Medium Enterprises
(ME)."
2.
The Government of India has since enacted the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Development (MSMED) Act, 2006 on June 16, 2006 which was notified on October
2, 2006. Consistent with the notification of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Development (MSMED) Act 2006, the definition of micro, small and medium enterprises
engaged in manufacturing or production and providing or rendering of services
is being modified and is required to be implemented by the banks alongwith other
policy measures with immediate effect.
3.
Definition of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
(a)
Enterprises engaged in the manufacture or production, processing or preservation
of goods as specified below:
i) A micro
enterprise is an enterprise where investment in plant and machinery [original
cost excluding land and building and the items specified by the Ministry of
Small Scale Industries vide its notification No.
S.O. 1722(E) dated October 5, 2006 (copy enclosed)] does not exceed Rs.
25 lakh;
ii) A small
enterprise is an enterprise where the investment in plant and machinery
(original cost excluding land and building and the items specified by the Ministry
of Small Scale Industries vide its notification No.
S.O. 1722(E) dated October 5, 2006) is more than Rs. 25 lakh but does
not exceed Rs. 5 crore; and
iii) A medium enterprise
is an enterprise where the investment in plant and machinery (original cost
excluding land and building and the items specified by the Ministry of Small
Scale Industries vide its notification No.
S.O. 1722(E) dated October 5, 2006) is more than Rs.5 crore but does
not exceed Rs.10 crore.
(b) Enterprises
engaged in providing or rendering of services and whose investment in equipment
(original cost excluding land and building and furniture, fittings and other
items not directly related to the service rendered or as may be notified under
the MSMED Act, 2006) are specified below. These will include small road &
water transport operators (owning a fleet of vehicles not exceeding ten vehicles),
retail trade (with credit limits not exceeding Rs.10 lakh), small business (whose
original cost price of the equipment used for the purpose of business does not
exceed Rs.20 lakh) and professional & self employed persons (whose borrowing
limits do not exceed Rs.10 lakh of which not more than Rs.2 lakh should be for
working capital requirements except in case of professionally qualified medical
practitioners setting up of practice in semi-urban and rural areas, the borrowing
limits should not exceed Rs.15 lakh with a sub-ceiling of Rs.3 lakh for working
capital requirements).
(i) A micro
enterprise is an enterprise where the investment in equipment does not
exceed Rs. 10 lakh;
(i) A small
enterprise is an enterprise where the investment in equipment is more
than Rs.10 lakh but does not exceed Rs. 2 crore; and
(ii) A medium enterprise
is an enterprise where the investment in equipment is more than Rs. 2 crore
but does not exceed Rs. 5 crore.
Bank’s lending
to medium enterprises will not be included for the purpose of reckoning under
the priority sector.
Accordingly,
the existing provisions in the Master Circular on Lending to Priority Sector
issued vide circular RPCD.No.Plan.BC.4/04.09.01/2006-07
dated July 3, 2006 may be replaced as indicated in the Annexure.
4.
Compilation of separate data for each category of enterprises
Based on
the above definition you are requested to compile data separately for each category
of enterprises in the prescribed format (copy enclosed)
from the quarter ended September 30, 2007, for onward transmission to the Government
of India.
5. Progressive
guidelines/instructions to banks on micro, small and medium enterprises
Reserve
Bank of India have been issuing guidelines/instructions to banks from time to
time to ensure timely and smooth flow of credit to such enterprises, to minimize
the incidence of sickness among them and enhance the competitiveness of such
enterprises which has been incorporated in our Master Circular on SME lending
(RPCD.
PLNFS. BC. No. 2/ 06.02.31/ 2006-07 dated July 1, 2006). The Boards of banks
may review the existing guidelines/instructions and formulate a comprehensive
and liberal policy in respect of loans to micro, small and medium (MSME) sector
and adopt the same at the earliest.
6. Delayed
payment to micro and small enterprises
The existing
provisions of the Interest on Delayed Payment Act, 1998 to Small Scale and Ancillary
Industrial Undertakings, have been strengthened under the MSMED Act as under:
(i) The
buyer to make payment on or before the date agreed on between him and the supplier
in writing or, in case of no agreement before the appointed day. The agreement
between seller and buyer shall not exceed more than 45 days.
(ii) The buyer fails to
make payment of the amount to the supplier, he shall be liable to pay compound
interest with monthly rests to the supplier on the amount from the appointed
day or, on the date agreed on, at three times of the Bank Rate notified by Reserve
Bank.
(iii) For any goods supplied
or services rendered by the supplier, the buyer shall be liable to pay the interest
as advised at (ii) above.
(iv) In case of dispute
with regard to any amount due, a reference shall be made to the Micro and Small
Enterprises Facilitation Council, constituted by the respective State Government.
7. As the above measures
are important for healthy and balanced development of micro, small and medium
enterprises sector, we advise you to initiate necessary action and issue necessary
instructions to your branches/controlling offices in this regard at the earliest.
8. Please
acknowledge receipt.
Yours faithfully,
(G.Srinivasan)
Chief General Manager
Outstanding
Credit to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Sector–Quarterly Review
by Government of India
Name of
Bank: ………………………As at the end of March/June/September/December 200……