Category Center for the Study for Finance and Economics

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Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS), 2015: Promoting Indian Exports and Enhancing Global Competitiveness 

Merchandise exports play an important role in economic growth by generating employment, earning foreign exchange, encouraging industrial development and integrating domestic producers into global value chains. However, Indian exporters have historically faced challenges such as high logistics costs, inadequate infrastructure, procedural complexities and competition from international producers. These constraints can reduce the price competitiveness of Indian goods in international markets, particularly for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)

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Capitalizing Community Action: A Policy Review of Kerala’s Kudumbashree Micro-Enterprise Loan Framework (1998)

The State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM) of the Government of Kerala institutionalized the Kudumbashree Mission on 17 May 1998 as a localized response to the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts, synchronized with the state's pioneering People's Plan Campaign (Government of Kerala, 1998). While Kudumbashree initially functioned as a neighbourhood-based network centred on basic thrift and consumption credit, the operational landscape underwent a significant structural transformation between 2005 and 2010 (Kudumbashree, 2026).

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Karma Sathi Prakalpa (2020): From Youth Loans to Sustainable Self Employment in West Bengal

West Bengal introduced the Karma Sathi Prakalpa in September 2020 to address the problem of youth unemployment and limited access to finance for starting small businesses. Although the state had existing self employment schemes, many young people continued to face difficulties in obtaining affordable bank loans and turning their skills and ideas into sustainable livelihoods. Recognising this gap, the government introduced the scheme to support unemployed youth in both rural and urban areas. It aimed to provide soft loans and subsidies of up to ₹2 lakh for new business ventures in manufacturing, services and trading. The main objective was to encourage entrepreneurship, promote self reliance and create further employment opportunities

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Institutionalizing Financial Inclusion: A Policy Review of Bihar’s JEEViKA Framework (2006)

The Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project (BRLP), locally branded as JEEViKA, was conceived in October 2006 by the Department of Rural Development, Government of Bihar, with World Bank backing (BRLPS, 2026). Initially launched as a pilot across six impoverished, climate-vulnerable districts targeting 1.5 million households, its original mandate was narrowly focused on poverty reduction through women's collectivization—organizing rural women into SHGs to build savings discipline, internal lending, and financial literacy (World Bank, 2020). At this stage, JEEViKA functioned as a limited, World Bank-funded pilot with no mandate to implement a national mission (World Bank, 2020).

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Udyogini Scheme, 1997: Strengthening Women’s Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Generation in Karnataka

Women’s entrepreneurship can contribute to employment generation, household income and local economic development. However, women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds may face difficulties in obtaining institutional credit, preparing business plans, acquiring entrepreneurial skills and accessing markets. Limited access to finance can force aspiring entrepreneurs to depend on informal lenders or abandon business ideas before they become viable enterprises.

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GST Compliance Burden on MSMEs in India: Assessing the Role of the Quarterly Return Filing and Monthly Payment Scheme and Recent Reforms

Against this backdrop, the introduction of GST in July 2017 represented a significant restructuring of India’s indirect tax system and created new incentives for businesses to participate in the formal economy. By replacing a fragmented system of central and state-level indirect taxes with a common framework, GST sought to reduce tax cascading and improve the traceability of transactions.

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