Porvorim: The renaming of Goa’s directorate of industries, trade and commerce to the directorate of MSME, industries, trade and commerce may appear a budgetary formality, but it signals a deliberate shift in economic strategy. Chief minister Pramod Sawant is placing micro and small enterprises — ranging from neighbourhood stores to self-help groups — at the centre of the state’s growth agenda.The logic is straightforward. With land scarce and large industrial projects notoriously slow to generate jobs and GST revenue for Goa, MSMEs offer a faster, more accessible route to employment generation and local consumption. Sawant acknowledged as much, saying the renaming would “address the lack of MSME-focused administrative structure” — a gap, he said, that long stalled enterprise growth even after registration.In what is his final budget before the current term ends, Sawant allocated Rs 108 crore to the department and announced a flagship initiative, the Chief Minister’s MSME Innovate Scheme, 2026, aimed at strengthening innovation and competitiveness across the sector.The scheme promises support across innovation, R&D, intellectual property, lending, incubation, seed capital, skill development, salary reimbursement and operational assistance, with Rs 1 crore earmarked for these interventions. An additional Rs 5 crore was set aside for four new MSME schemes covering green investment promotion, branding, trade promotion and integrated support.To sharpen the incentive structure, Sawant raised the employment subsidy per MSME from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 30 lakh, and expanded reimbursements and subsidies to cover up to 80% of costs. A single-window portal for MSMEs is also on the anvil.The budget builds on the World Bank-supported Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) Programme. Through RAMP, the state is already helping Goan MSMEs scale and grow sustainably, including by transitioning self-help group members into formal enterprise owners.Two other announcements round out the MSME push. An IPO Cell will be set up to support small and medium enterprises listed on stock indices. The Mukhyamantri Export Incentive Scheme will offer Rs 4 lakh per annum for two years to 50 MSMEs on a first-come-first-served basis, with Rs 2 crore allocated for the programme, a modest but pointed effort to connect Goan enterprises to global markets.
