ISSN2320-2882
Impact Factor9.17
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ESTD2013
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Paper Title
"COVID-19 and Indian MSMEs: Assessing Economic Impact, Structural Challenges, and the Role of Digital Inclusion"
Authors
Guru M C , Dr. Asifulla A
Keywords
Digital finance, e-market platforms, and digital infrastructure
Abstract
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted economic and social activities across the global economy, with micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) experiencing disproportionate adverse impacts in India. This study examines the contribution of MSMEs to the Indian economy and analyses the structural challenges faced by the sector during the pre-COVID and COVID-19 periods, with special emphasis on the role of digital inclusion. Using secondary data, the study employs descriptive statistics to assess sectoral performance and applies correlation and Johansen's co-integration techniques to examine the long-run relationship among key variables, namely the number of MSMEs, investment, employment, and output. The findings reveal that COVID-19 constituted an exceptional shock to the MSME sector, significantly affecting production capacity, employment generation, and revenue flows. The correlation results indicate a strong and statistically significant positive association among all selected variables, while the co-integration analysis confirms the existence of a stable long-run equilibrium relationship. The study further highlights that limited digital inclusion--reflected in inadequate access to digital finance, e-market platforms, and digital infrastructure--intensified the vulnerability of MSMEs during the crisis. Strengthening digital inclusion through enhanced e-market linkages, digital financial access, and supportive fiscal stimulus is therefore crucial for improving resilience, accelerating recovery, and ensuring sustainable growth of MSMEs in the post-pandemic period.
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IJCRT — journal style
""COVID-19 and Indian MSMEs: Assessing Economic Impact, Structural Challenges, and the Role of Digital Inclusion"", IJCRT - International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts (www.ijcrt.org), ISSN:2320-2882, Vol.14, Issue 1, page no.d180-d186, January 2026, Available :https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT2601390.pdf
APA — 7th edition
C, G. M., & A, A. (2026). "COVID-19 and Indian MSMEs: Assessing Economic Impact, Structural Challenges, and the Role of Digital Inclusion". International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts, 14(1), d180-d186. https://ijcrt.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJCRT2601390
MLA — 9th edition
C, Guru M, and Asifulla A. ""COVID-19 and Indian MSMEs: Assessing Economic Impact, Structural Challenges, and the Role of Digital Inclusion"." International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts, vol. 14, no. 1, 2026, pp. d180-d186, https://ijcrt.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJCRT2601390.
Chicago — 17th, bibliography
C, Guru M, and Asifulla A. ""COVID-19 and Indian MSMEs: Assessing Economic Impact, Structural Challenges, and the Role of Digital Inclusion"." International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts 14, no. 1 (2026): d180-d186. https://ijcrt.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJCRT2601390.
Harvard — author–date
C, G.M. and A, A. (2026) '"COVID-19 and Indian MSMEs: Assessing Economic Impact, Structural Challenges, and the Role of Digital Inclusion"', International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts, 14(1), pp. d180-d186. Available at: https://ijcrt.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJCRT2601390
IEEE — numbered reference
G. M. C and A. A, ""COVID-19 and Indian MSMEs: Assessing Economic Impact, Structural Challenges, and the Role of Digital Inclusion"," IJCRT, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. d180-d186, Jan. 2026.
Vancouver — biomedical
C GM, A A. "COVID-19 and Indian MSMEs: Assessing Economic Impact, Structural Challenges, and the Role of Digital Inclusion". IJCRT. 2026 Jan;14(1):d180-d186.
AMA — 11th edition
C GM, A A. "COVID-19 and Indian MSMEs: Assessing Economic Impact, Structural Challenges, and the Role of Digital Inclusion". IJCRT. 2026;14(1):d180-d186. Accessed at https://ijcrt.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJCRT2601390
BibTeX — Zotero, Mendeley, LaTeX
@article{IJCRT2601390,
author = {Guru M C and Asifulla A},
title = {"COVID-19 and Indian MSMEs: Assessing Economic Impact, Structural Challenges, and the Role of Digital Inclusion"},
journal = {International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts},
volume = {14},
number = {1},
pages = {d180-d186},
year = {2026},
month = {January},
issn = {2320-2882},
url = {https://ijcrt.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJCRT2601390}
}
RIS — EndNote, RefWorks
TY - JOUR
AU - C, Guru M
AU - A, Asifulla
TI - "COVID-19 and Indian MSMEs: Assessing Economic Impact, Structural Challenges, and the Role of Digital Inclusion"
T2 - International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts
JA - IJCRT
VL - 14
IS - 1
PY - 2026
SN - 2320-2882
UR - https://ijcrt.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJCRT2601390
SP - d180-d186
ER -
Issue
Volume 14 Issue 1,
January-2026
Pages : d180-d186
Article Information
- Pages
- d180-d186
- Published
- January 2026
- Registration ID
- IJCRT_300420
- Published Paper ID
- IJCRT2601390
- Research Area
- Management All
- Author Type
- Indian Author
- Location
- BENGALURU, Karnataka, India
- Peer Review
- Request Peer Review Report
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0 · Open Access
- ISSN & Impact Factor
- 2320-2882 · IF 9.17
- Downloads
- 227
- Permanent Link
- https://ijcrt.org/viewpaperforall.php?paper=IJCRT2601390
- Published Paper PDF
- https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT2601390.pdf
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