Wage support mechanism, interest subvention for Covid-hit MSMEs should be considered by govt: Assocham

Notably for the hospitality sector, Assocham prompt permitting GST enter credit score for eating places.

With the intention to assist Covid-hit MSMEs get better, the federal government ought to think about wage assist mechanism and curiosity subvention, an Assocham paper mentioned on Wednesday. Suggesting measures to the federal government for cover of employment amongst MSMEs, the trade physique mentioned that the excess funds of Staff State Insurance coverage Company (ESIC) must be used for offering wage assist measures/stimulus bundle for the workers. The request got here days after the federal government had introduced the extension of the Emergency Credit score Assure Scheme (ECLGS) from March until September 2021 to sanction ensures value Rs 3 lakh crore.

“That is time to assist and spend with out giving an excessive amount of deal with the fiscal parameters. I’m positive, the RBI and the federal government are continuously engaged on modern options to maintain infusing money into the system regardless of an comprehensible income strain,” mentioned Deepak Sood, Secretary Common, Assocham in a press release. He added that the federal government’s Ease of Doing Enterprise and Aggressive Manufacturing focus must go in overdrive with reforms to the Electrical energy Act, Unified Tariff and Unbundling of Pure Gasoline, elimination of outdated and redundant legal guidelines for a incredible financial rebound post-pandemic.

Assocham additionally sought curiosity subvention for the commerce and trade with validity until March 31, 2022, particularly, for micro and small companies. Likewise, NPA norms must be relaxed for MSMEs, if not for all industries. “As money movement cycles have been affected and companies haven’t been capable of notice receivables on time, it is going to be useful if one-time rest in recognizing NPAs is supplied, extending the late norm from 90 days to 180 days,” it added.

Subscribe to Financial Express SME newsletter now: Your weekly dose of news, views, and updates from the world of micro, small, and medium enterprises

The RBI had final month introduced Decision Framework 2.0 to permit people, small companies, and MSMEs — with loans as much as Rs 25 crore and who haven’t availed restructuring below Decision Framework 1.0 and others and have been categorized as ‘Normal’ as on March 31, 2021 — avail one-time restructuring below the proposed framework until September 30, 2021. For many who had already availed restructuring below final yr’s Decision Framework 1.0, Governor Shaktikanta Das had allowed banks to change their plans to extend the interval of the moratorium and/or prolong the residual tenor as much as a complete of two years.

Notably for the hospitality sector, Assocham prompt permitting GST enter credit score for eating places. “The restaurant trade is the one sector that isn’t allowed to assert tax credit below the present GST regime. This undermines the acknowledged goal of bringing extra companies into the organized fold and closely will increase the capital expenditure.”

In line with the hospitality physique Federation of Resort & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), the resort sector’s whole income declined round 75 per cent within the final monetary yr. The income hit was close to Rs 1.30 lakh crore in FY21 vis-à-vis Rs 1.82 lakh crore in FY20. The sector’s income originally of 2021 was below 20 per cent of pre-pandemic ranges and since April 2021 the income hasn’t crossed 5 per cent, the physique had mentioned in a press release on Wednesday.