The Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has extended the validity of Entrepreneurs Memorandum (EM) Part-II and Udyog Aadhaar Memorandums (UAMs) from March 31 to December 31, 2021.

This extension will provide a sigh of relief as it will facilitate the holders to avail the benefits of the provisions under various existing schemes and incentives. The numerous benefits will also include Priority Sector Lending benefits for MSMEs.

All enterprises registered until June 30, 202, were earlier required to file a new registration on the Udyam Registration Portal before March 31, 2021.

UAM is a single-page registration form that involves a self-declaration format. In this form, the MSME entrepreneur will have to self-certify the existence of his/her enterprise, bank account details, owner`s AADHAR details, and other required official information.

According to an IBEF report, India has about 6.3 crore MSMEs majorly dominated by micro-enterprises, and the number of registered MSMEs grew 18.5 percent Y-o-Y to reach 25.13 lakh (2.5 million) units in 2020 from 21.21 lakh (2.1 million) units in 2019.

As of June 17, 2021, the portal has facilitated the registration and classification of more than 33 lakh enterprises, as per the official data.

According to the official statement issued by the MSME ministry, “the said amendment has been carried out considering the hardships faced by MSMEs during the prevailing COVID-19 situation and the representations received from the various MSME associations, financial institutions, and government departments dealing with the interest of MSME Sector”.

The MSME ministry expects the smooth migration of the existing UAM holders to the new system of Udyam registration, which was launched in July 2020. They would avail the benefits of the government schemes, thereby paving the way for empowering & strengthening MSMEs and leading to their faster recovery, boost to their economic activity and creation of jobs.

It is a one-time registration, and hence, no renewal is necessary. A permanent registration number is provided post the registration, and after completion of the process, an online certificate will be issued.

The enterprises can register for free on https://udyamregistration.gov.in  and without any documents. However, they will require PAN and Aadhaar cards for registering on the Udyam portal.