Offrd Times · Tuesday, 26 May 2026

In this edition Light news day on the 24 hour window. Item 1 is fresh from 25 May. Items 2 to 5 are older but unique to the archive, held in for the SME read.

Funding

Sitharaman asks SIDBI to design cash flow MSME loans, flags Rs 8.1 trn in dues

Business Standard · Reported 6:30 pm IST

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday asked SIDBI and the banking system to go beyond standard MSME products and design cash flow based loans. She suggested repayment cycles linked to harvest for agri processing firms, export windows for textile exporters, and seasonal earnings for tourism units. Sitharaman also flagged delayed payments to MSMEs, with an estimated Rs 8.1 trillion locked in dues across the value chain. The SME read, financing built around how the business actually earns may finally reach the small end of the market.

Read in full at Business Standard →

Bengal workers will get ESIC coverage once Labour Codes roll out, Mandaviya

Union labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that workers in West Bengal, currently outside parts of the ESIC net, will be brought into coverage as the four Labour Codes are rolled out. The Social Security Code pulls ESIC coverage pan India and removes the older notified area concept that excluded several Bengal districts. The SME read, firms operating across Bengal districts not currently in ESIC will need to plan for the contribution outgo and the registration paperwork, both newly applicable post rollout.

Business Standard · 2:00 pm

Research

Only 4.3 per cent of women owned MSMEs use cash credit or overdraft, NITI

A Business Standard analysis citing a recent NITI Aayog report found that only 4.3 per cent of women owned enterprises in India access cash credit or overdraft facilities. Most rely on microfinance, family capital, or digital lending channels at higher rates. The piece arrives the same week FM Sitharaman flagged that a woman entrepreneur may have regular transactions yet no property in her name, and asked SIDBI to redesign products. The SME read, women led MSMEs remain credit thin even as headline lending grows.

Business Standard · 10:00 am

Hiring

Indian creator economy moves into payrolls, content roles up 919 per cent

Job postings for structured roles requiring content creation skills in India have grown by 919 per cent between 2020 and early 2026, according to data referenced by SMEStreet. The shift moves creators from side income work into salaried roles inside marketing, brand and product teams. The SME read, smaller firms that previously hired creators on retainer are starting to budget for in house content roles. That changes job descriptions, statutory contribution lines, and how social handles are owned when employees move on.

SMEStreet · 10:00 am