CREDIT GUARANTEE FUND TRUST FOR MICRO AND SMALL MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (CGTMSE) SCHEME IN PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS

The Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGS) was launched by the Government of India (GoI) to make available collateral-free credit to the micro and small enterprise sector. Both the existing and the new enterprises are eligible to be covered under the scheme. Of all the problems faced by the MSEs, non-availability of timely and adequate credit at reasonable interest rate is one of the most important. One of the major causes for low availability of bank finance to this sector is the high risk perception of the banks in lending to MSEs and consequent insistence on collaterals which are not easily available with these enterprises. The problem is more serious for micro enterprises requiring small loans and the first generation entrepreneurs. The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), established a Trust named Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) to implement the Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Micro and Small Enterprises. The scheme was formally launched on August 30, 2000. The corpus of CGTMSE is being contributed by the GoI and SIDBI in the ratio of 4:1. The main aim of the scheme is to provide collateral free loans to MSME sector.