Jobs, MSME Growth & Dignity
True empowerment begins with the dignity of a steady income. Empower Tamizhagam works to revitalize the local economy by rescuing small businesses from debt, bridging the rural-urban skills gap, and deploying egovernance solutions.
By de-bottlenecking the regulatory hurdles that stifle MSMEs and connecting job-seekers to the green economy, we transform local ecosystems into engines of sustainable growth and job creation.
- MSMEs aren't a sector of the Indian economy — they are the Indian economy. 6.3 crore enterprises. 11 crore livelihoods. Roughly 30% of GDP. Over half rurally rooted. Yet the businesses that employ 70% of India's workforce are being systematically exhausted by the very state meant to enable them.
- 28,000+ startups shut down operationally in 2023–24 alone. 4,300 Indian millionaires emigrated in 2024, voting with their capital. 66% of businesses admit paying a bribe just to survive routine compliance (LocalCircles). Thousands of crores in GST refunds and input tax credit remain trapped in bureaucratic limbo — flagged repeatedly by the CAG and FIEO, never resolved
Problems with fundamental dignity and Ease of Doing Business.
- If something is not done 100% with the government, trouble awaits, harassment, prosecution. Denied refunds. GST, VAT, Customs, TDS, ESIC, Approvals, Compliance.
- Your CA and your lawyer may be excellent — but their livelihood depends on an ongoing relationship with the same officials you may need to challenge. They rarely escalate hard.
- Most MSMEs, especially the 90%+ that are micro-enterprises, cannot afford qualified representation for adversarial matters at all.
- No independent, non-partisan institutional voice has existed purely to represent business interests to government.
What We Do
- The ET MSME Business Forum operates strictly as a public-interest advocacy and government relations body
- Independent Research — Data-driven white papers on regulatory friction, published without political affiliation
- Collective Government Relations — Ministerial roundtables, pre-budget submissions, representation
- Policy Monitoring — Tracking amnesty schemes, compliance deadlines, and regulatory shifts before they blindside members
- Escalation Support — Guidance on CPGRAMS, Chief Minister's Office channels, and RTI to surface systemic issues — aggregated and anonymized by default
- Amnesty Advocacy — Pushing for permanent, structural relief (not narrow four-month windows) at both central and state level
- Through our Network Partners: Individual case work. GST/TDS refund recovery, customs litigation, and private compliance filing are handled by independent commercial partners.
Phase 1 Proactive Auto-Refund Amnesty — government uses its own data to auto-clear undisputed refunds, no paperwork required
Phase 2 Independent Grievance and Administrative Issues— a binding 30-day resolution mandate, outside the department being complained about.
Phase 3 Legislative Modernization — enforceable timelines, deemed relief on government delay, proactive compliance outreach
Modeled impact: 15–30% working capital unlocked for MSMEs; 2–4 additional labour-days/week in local economies; measurable downstream price stabilization.
Confidentiality, By Design: We understandthe fear of retaliation. All case reporting is anonymized and aggregated by default — your name, your notice, your dispute never surfaces publicly without your explicit, written consent.
Join the Movement
- Standard Level — ₹25,000/year
Core MSMEs facing systemic regulatory and tax friction. Helpdesk access and collective advocacy representation.
- Corporate Patron — ₹2,00,000/year
Mid-market leaders. Sub-committee leadership slots, ministerial roundtable access, brand visibility.
- Founding Governor — By Invitation
Conglomerates protecting supply chains. Policy Advisory Board seat, direct pre-budget input, ecosystem compliance audits.
Join the Founding Cohort
We are building the independent voice Indian MSMEs have never had — one that owes nothing to any department, any official, or any political cycle. Only to its members.
To find out what is happening with our tax money and government decisions, a number of resources are available. Any queries that you may have with specific government departments are best addressed to the officials in question or the heads of departments. Where no response is forthcoming, a few options exist:
- Issues with the Government in India?
CP-GRAM Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System pgportal.gov.in/ - Figuring out what is happening with your file in a certain Govt of India department?
RTI: Right to Information Act. rti.gov.in/ - RTI Tamil Nadu State Government. www.tn.gov.in/rti/
Many subsidized and free services are made available for start-up ecosystems in India and Tamil Nadu.
Startup India by Government of India www.startupindia.gov.in
Collateral-Free Financing – Powered by Govt of India. Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises up to Rs 2 Crore. www.cgtmse.in
In the public interest, our legal team is happy to assess issues, regulations and processes. In addition to governmental intervention, we also support small businesses, MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) and NGOs.
We enable access to finance, recovery of funds from governments and the private sector. A number of legal and governmental options exist to ensure rights are protected and ease of doing business is increased. Any individual should be able to start a small business without arduous procedures and regulations.
New policies and stimuli have been announced by the Government of India, and the Government of Tamil Nadu. We enable access to these and help navigate the system. Any requests to the government may also be fast-tracked.
