Axis Bank, one of the largest private sector banks, in partnership with the India SME Forum, hosted the 9th edition of the India SME 100 Awards in New Delhi.
The event recognises and felicitates the contribution of India’s top-performing SMEs. The platform also helps in creating awareness of the importance and development of SMEs and offers networking opportunities to raise equity capital for growth.
The event was graced by the presence of several dignitaries including Narayan Rane, Union Minister of MSME, Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Minister of State for MSME, Amitabh Chaudhry, MD & CEO, Axis Bank, and Rajiv Anand, Deputy MD, Axis Bank.
The awards were presented to 55 small, 28 medium, and 17 micro-segment companies from 14 States and 2 UTs, spanning various sectors such as agriculture, chemicals, energy, pharmaceuticals, logistics, and more. Maharashtra received the highest number of awards followed by Gujarat and Karnataka.
On the occasion, Amitabh Chaudhry, MD, and CEO, Axis Bank said, “One of Axis Bank’s core philosophies has been to address the financial requirements and ensure long term sustainable growth for ‘all’ customer segments.
These awards are a testament to the outstanding growth of SMEs and their potential to become world-class organizations. While it has been our constant endeavor to undertake measures to boost MSMEs and entrepreneurship, this association with the Indian SME Forum is to help SMEs network and promote themselves to their partners, investors, and collaborators, raise capital and gain a global footprint.”
The awards platform received the highest number of unique nominations this year. Over 37,000 nominations were received from MSMEs across the country. The winners were evaluated by a 15-member diverse jury panel on various parameters such as growth performance, financial strength, innovation, people capital, international outlook, corporate governance, and initiatives taken to realign and reorient the business during Covid times to sustain the business and company.