JAMMU: The Indian Institute of Management Jammu (IIM Jammu), the Jammu & Kashmir Trade Promotion Organization (JKTPO), and the Directorates of Industries and Commerce, Government of Jammu & Kashmir, today signed a landmark Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Jagti Campus Board Room to establish the Jammu & Kashmir MSME Health Clinic (JKMHC) under the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) program.
The ceremony featured detailed presentations on the initiative’s scope, funding structure, and implementation roadmap. The signing was attended by Prof. B. S. Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu; Sudershan Kumar, Managing Director, JKTPO; Arun Kumar Manhas, Director, Industries & Commerce, Jammu; and Khalid Majeed, Director, Industries & Commerce, Kashmir. Also present were key officials from JKTPO and the Directorates of Industries and Commerce, alongside senior IIM Jammu faculty, including Prof. Jabir Ali, Dean of Faculty and Research, and other prominent professors and administrative staff.
Addressing the gathering, Prof. B. S. Sahay highlighted that hosting the Project Management Unit (PMU) at IIM Jammu will enable a knowledge-driven, research-based framework to address real-world MSME challenges. He emphasized that the collaboration aligns with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 and reinforces IIM Jammu’s commitment to nation-building through capacity development, innovation, and entrepreneurship support. Prof. Sahay also proposed involving IIM Jammu students in live industry projects across Jammu & Kashmir, integrating practical experience into the curriculum while enabling impactful faculty-led research and consultancy in the MSME sector.
Sudershan Kumar, Managing Director, JKTPO, underlined the organization’s role in expanding global market access for local enterprises through branding, promotion, and trade facilitation, especially for handicrafts, carpet weaving, and horticulture. Arun Kumar Manhas, Director, Industries & Commerce, Jammu, described the MSME Health Clinic as a transformative support system to help small businesses adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing economic environment. Prof. Jabir Ali emphasized the initiative’s potential to merge academic research with field-level interventions, benefiting both distressed units and policy formulation in the MSME sector.
The Jammu & Kashmir MSME Health Clinic will serve as a dedicated mechanism to detect early signs of stress in MSMEs and provide customized financial and non-financial support. The PMU, hosted at IIM Jammu, will include experts in branding, marketing, finance, technology, and strategy, supported by young professionals and data analysts.
The primary objective of JKMHC under the RAMP program is to proactively identify and prevent stress in micro and small enterprises, offering targeted interventions to prevent units from becoming sick. The program spans two years, from FY 2024–25 to FY 2026–27, with a total outlay of ₹30.64 crore, covering 959 identified MSMEs across Jammu & Kashmir in three phases:
- Phase I: Diagnostic studies and identification of vulnerable enterprises
- Phase II: Implementation of financial and non-financial interventions
- Phase III: Long-term monitoring and sustainability frameworks
Financial support will include working capital loans, technology upgradation subsidies, warehouse receipt financing, and export promotion grants. Non-financial support will focus on capacity building, skill training, quality certification, and strategic mentoring.
This MoU represents a significant step toward strengthening the MSME ecosystem in Jammu & Kashmir. By combining academic expertise, government support, and trade promotion mechanisms, the initiative aims to transform distressed enterprises into resilient contributors to the regional and national economy. With IIM Jammu as the knowledge partner and host of the PMU, the program leverages the institute’s strengths in research, innovation, and executive education, showcasing its role as a catalyst for industry–academia–government collaboration in the region.
