Ease of Doing Business for MSMEs: While there are 10,260 bronze-certified MSMEs in the country, about 49,075 MSMEs have applied for the certification. According to information on the Zed dashboard, there are currently only 153 gold-certified and 133 silver-certified MSMEs.
The MSME sustainable certification (ZED) scheme, which aims to promote zero defect-zero effect practices among manufacturing MSMEs, has crossed the 10,000 registration milestone within 15 months of its launch in April 2022.
The Union Minister of MSMEs Narayan Rane took to Twitter to share the milestone. His tweet quoted, “MSME ZED certification scheme crosses 10,000 registration mark. Launched in April 2022, the success of the MSME ZED certification scheme reflects our firm commitment towards the visionary call of Zero Defect and Zero Effect Manufacturing by Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi ji.”
The rationale behind the launch of the zero defect-zero effect was expressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address on the 68th Independence Day. PM Modi appealed to the MSMEs of the country to manufacture goods with ‘zero defects,’ which have zero effects on the environment. The Quality Council of India (QCI), an autonomous body set up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is the implementing body for the Zed Scheme.
The ZED certification model has three levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. These levels are classified according to 20 performance-based parameters such as quality management, timely delivery, process control, waste management, etc. The bronze certification is provided after meeting five parameters, followed by Silver at 14, and Gold at 20.
While there are 10,260 bronze-certified MSMEs in the country, about 49,075 MSMEs have applied for the certification. According to information on the Zed dashboard, there are currently only 153 gold-certified and 133 silver-certified MSMEs.
MSMEs are charged Rs 10,000 for bronze certification, Rs 40,000 for silver certification, and Rs 90,000 for gold certification. The scheme provides financial assistance of up to 75% of the total cost of testing/certification, with a maximum subsidy ceiling of Rs 50,000. Additionally, up to Rs 2 lakh support for handholding/consultancy is offered to achieve the next certification level. Regarding support for technology upgradation, the scheme offers assistance of up to Rs 3 lakhs for moving towards zero effect solutions/pollution control measures/cleaner technology.
