Beating The Odds

The over 63 million small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India are going through a period of churn. At one side, new technologies that include artificial intelligence, cloud computing, machine learning and internet of things have made it easier for SMEs to operate and achieve targets. But at the other end, they are witness to disruptions caused by changes in business models and new government policies. These disruptions are helping the smartest SMEs perform better, while others are finding the disruption painful.

But one thing is for sure. SMEs just cannot be ignored in India, for multiple reasons. SMEs contribute about 45 per cent to India's manufacturing output and account for over 40 per cent of exports. They also account for over 28 per cent of India's