Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic created special obstacles for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in India because it disrupted their ability to access credit, maintain business operations, and create new jobs. The government of India responded to this situation by implementing various financial assistance programmes while non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and digital lending platforms increased their financial support for MSMEs. This study analyses the recovery of MSMEs after the pandemic through three factors that include credit disbursement patterns, beneficiary coverage, and employment generation from 2018 to 2024. The study uses secondary data, which researchers collected from official sources including the Reserve Bank of India, the Ministry of MSME, and NITI Aayog, and related government reports. The research team used MS Excel to perform descriptive, comparative, and trend analyses, which evaluated the performance indicators from before and after the pandemic. The results show that post-pandemic credit availability increased through government programmes and alternative funding options but job recovery progressed at a slower pace, which created an uneven recovery situation. The study shows that financial solutions provided better cash flow management and business stability but operational challenges made it difficult to create permanent job positions. The paper shows that integrated MSME policies require financial assistance to match employment growth efforts and 2026productivity improvement activities because this link will result in sustainable development for enterprises.
Keywords: MSMEs, Post-Pandemic Recovery, Government Schemes, NBFCs, Employment Sustainability, India
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