Srinagar, Jul 31 (KNO): The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Jammu, on Friday organised an MSME Townhall Meeting for entrepreneurs from the Khonmoh Industrial Area in Srinagar, bringing together around 100 business owners, government officials and banking representatives to promote financial inclusion, improve access to credit and strengthen support for small businesses.
In a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), a spokesperson said the Reserve Bank of India, Jammu organized a MSME Townhall Meeting on July 31, 2026, for MSME Entrepreneurs of Khonmoh Industrial Area, Srinagar at Srinagar.
He said the event was graced by Ms. Rachna Sharma, Secretary, Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (RDD), UT of J&K, as the Chief Guest, in the presence of Shri Chandrashekhar Azad, Regional Director, Reserve Bank of India, Jammu. The event had an enthusiastic participation of around 100 MSME entrepreneurs.
The spokesperson said the event was also attended, among others, by Deputy General Manager, RBI, Jammu; General Manager, UTLBC J&K Convenor Bank; Deputy General Manager, State Bank of India; Chairman, Jammu & Kashmir Grameen Bank; Deputy General Manager, Jammu & Kashmir Bank; Functional Manager, Directorate of Industries & Commerce, UT of J&K; Assistant Director, MSME-Development & Facilitation Office; officials from JKTPO, JKEDI, SIDBI, Lead Bank, RSETI and other banks; and representatives from Association of Industries, Khonmoh Industrial Area, Srinagar.
He said in his inaugural address, Regional Director, while welcoming the participants, stated that the objective behind conduct of Town Hall meetings in MSME clusters is to create awareness of banking facilities amongst the entrepreneurs in these clusters, link the unbanked entrepreneurs to the formal banking system and create a platform for a two-way communication amongst the stakeholders.
“He highlighted the significance of Udyam Registration, CGTMSE & TReDS for MSMEs and outlined the recent initiatives of RBI for MSMEs viz. enhancement of collateral free lending limit for micro and small enterprises from ₹ 10 lakh to ₹ 20 lakh and simplification of onboarding process for MSMEs on TReDS platforms by dispending with the requirement of due diligence.”
The spokesperson said Secretary, RDD in her special address, highlighted the role of MSMEs in nation building and underscored the importance of MSME sector in providing employment opportunities in the region. She shared that MSME has immense potential to drive entrepreneurship especially among youth and women.
He said she called upon strong collaboration between Government Departments, banks and industry stakeholders to ensure that every deserving entrepreneur has access to timely credit and financial services.
“The event had thematic sessions covering key aspects of MSME development and financing including sessions on MSME Financing Landscape in UT of J&K, TReDS and MSME Health Clinic. The event concluded with an open house session which was very interactive. The meeting was highly appreciated by the participants.”—(KNO)