Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme
- Context: The Union Cabinet has approved the 5th edition of the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) to mitigate economic impacts of the West Asia crisis.
- The scheme provides additional credit guarantees to MSMEs and non-MSMEs, including sectors like aviation.
- The objective is to help businesses overcome liquidity stress, sustain operations, and prevent economic slowdown due to external shocks.
- The scheme reflects the government’s focus on financial stability, credit support, and economic resilience during global crises.
About Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme
- The Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide liquidity support to businesses, especially MSMEs affected by lockdowns.
- It offers 100% credit guarantee by the government to banks and NBFCs for loans extended to eligible borrowers.
- The scheme covers existing loan outstanding as on February 29, 2020, enabling additional working capital and term loans.
- It aims to reduce credit risk for lenders and ensure easy access to finance for stressed businesses.
- The objective is to support business continuity, protect jobs, and stabilise the economy during crisis situations.
Mission for Cotton Productivity
-
- Context : The Union Cabinet approved the Mission for Cotton Productivity for the period 2026–27 to 2030–31 to address low productivity, quality issues, and stagnation in the cotton sector.
- It is aligned with the government’s 5F vision (Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign) to strengthen the textile value chain.
- The mission focuses on developing high-yielding, climate-resilient, and pest-resistant seed varieties to improve productivity.
- It promotes modern cultivation practices such as High Density Planting System and Integrated Cotton Management.
-
- It emphasises Extra Long Staple cotton to enhance quality and boost exports.
- It aims to strengthen ginning, processing, and testing infrastructure to meet global quality standards.
- It will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the Ministry of Textiles, with support from Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.
-
- The mission will initially cover 140 districts in 14 states and 2000 ginning units.
- It promotes Kasturi Cotton Bharat for traceability, certification, and branding of Indian cotton.
- It encourages digital integration of mandis to improve price discovery and enhance farmers’ income.
- It supports sustainable practices, recycling, and diversification into natural fibres.
- It targets production of 498 lakh bales and an increase in productivity to 755 kg per hectare by 2031.
India Semiconductor Mission
- Context : The Union Cabinet approved two semiconductor projects under the India Semiconductor Mission.
- Total investment is about ₹3,936 crore with expected employment generation of around 2,230 skilled jobs, and both projects are located in Gujarat.
- Crystal Matrix Limited will establish a compound semiconductor fabrication and ATMP facility at Dholera for manufacturing Mini/Micro-LED display modules using Gallium Nitride technology, marking India’s first commercial Mini/Micro-LED facility.
About India Semiconductor Mission
- India Semiconductor Mission was launched in 2021 under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India.
- It has a total financial outlay of ₹76,000 crore and aims to develop a sustainable semiconductor and display ecosystem in the country.
- The mission provides financial support and incentives to companies investing in semiconductor fabrication, display manufacturing, and chip design.
- It focuses on strengthening the entire semiconductor value chain, including manufacturing, packaging, and design ecosystems.
- It promotes the development of indigenous Intellectual Property (IP) and encourages Transfer of Technology (ToT).
- It includes a scheme for setting up semiconductor fabrication plants (fabs) in India.
- It includes a scheme for setting up display fabrication plants (fabs) in India.
- It also supports the establishment of semiconductor, silicon photonics, and sensor manufacturing units.
- It promotes ATMP/OSAT facilities (Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging) as part of backend semiconductor manufacturing.
- The overall objective is to reduce import dependence, boost domestic manufacturing, and position India as a global semiconductor hub.
