Pune: An MSME helpline, operated by the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), has conducted 10,000 consultations from 5,197 micro, small and medium enterprises since its launch in 2024.The helpline received calls from all 36 districts across Maharashtra and 306 districts of the 29 states and union territories in India. MCCIA has also increased its empanelled industry experts to 143 from 55 individuals since Nov 2025.“There have been instances where the helpline received a call from MSMEs from remote parts of the country where the caller could not converse in English or Hindi. In such scenarios, we were able to find a translator to guide them,” Prashant Girbane, director general of MCCIA, told TOI.Consultations have been conducted online. It has made the service accessible even to enterprises located in smaller towns and remote districts. Since launch, the helpline has conducted 3,925 consultations from 2,128 MSMEs from the Pune district.The most frequent queries were about MSMEs’ eligibility for government schemes. They also needed guidance in completing Udyam registration, managing GST compliance, accessing finance, onboarding on the Govt e-Marketplace (GeM), developing effective marketing strategies and/or exploring export opportunities.Girbane said the chamber also held one-on-one meetings with bankers and MSMEs every Friday to address their queries. Limited digital literacy, inadequate documentation and lack of access to expert advice could further result in missed opportunities, loan rejections and compliance challenges, which were why the helpline was receiving a wide response, he added.“The helpline incurred a cost of Rs 1,600 per call. This included payments to an industry expert and staff to operate the helpline. However, we were not charging any fees to MSMEs for calling,” Girbane said.
