The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jammu and Kashmir, participated in the 69th meeting of the Empowered Committee on micro, small and medium enterprises for the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh at the Reserve Bank of India office in Jammu for the quarter ending 31 December 2025. The session was chaired by the RBI regional director and attended by officials from the Khadi and Village Industries Commission, the MSME Development and Facilitation Office, the Department of Industries and Commerce, major banks and the UT Level Bankers’ Committee. PHDCCI was represented by Bilal Kawoosa and Mushtaq Ahmad Mir. PHDCCI representatives urged banks to adopt more liberal lending norms to strengthen the MSME sector, emphasising the need to ensure adequate working capital and term loans for genuine entrepreneurs. They pressed for streamlined procedures to facilitate quicker credit disbursal and highlighted obstacles faced by nascent firms in accessing formal finance. The delegates also stressed the importance of accelerated infrastructure development to support enterprise growth across urban and rural areas. The committee reached a consensus on enhancing awareness of the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises. PHDCCI announced plans to launch an awareness campaign in March 2026 to promote collateral-free credit for first generation entrepreneurs and to explain eligibility and claim processes under the guarantee scheme. Officials agreed that improved outreach would help channel formal credit to underserved segments. The RBI regional director underlined the critical role of micro, small and medium enterprises in the industrial economy and outlined key measures proposed in the Union Budget for 2026–27, including a proposed Rs 100 billion (Rs 100 bn) SME Growth Fund and an additional Rs 20 billion (Rs 20 bn) to boost risk capital for micro units. He noted the RBI decision to raise collateral-free loan limits for micro and small enterprises from Rs one million (Rs 1 mn) to Rs two million (Rs 2 mn) and urged banks and stakeholders to align credit delivery with policy intentions to accelerate job creation and local economic activity.