Expert help to reduce waste on the shop floor
MSME Champions: Lean Manufacturing
A lean consultant works with your team on the shop floor at three levels (Basic, Intermediate and Advanced). It is a part of the MSME Champions scheme, which the Ministry's Annual Report 2025-26 says was approved for 2021-22 to 2025-26, and the Lean guidelines say their financial support is valid till 31 March 2026. We found no order that continues, changes or closes it after that date. What we did find: the Lean portal was still running when we read it on 24 October 2026 (it showed 69,673 registered units, 20,323 Basic certificates and 4,323 units at Intermediate level, and a financial assistance page offering 90 percent of the consultant cost), the Union Budget 2026-27 gives the Champions scheme ₹54.72 crore, and the Ministry told Parliament on 12 March 2026 that an evaluation of the scheme is under way. So it is working, but the approval for the period after March 2026 is not public.
Units ready to change how work is done on the floor
- Basic level is free; the Government pays up to ₹1,08,000 (Intermediate) or ₹2,16,000 (Advanced) of the consultant cost, taxes extra, and the unit pays the rest (terms of the guidelines valid till 31 March 2026)
- A further 5 percent from the Government for units in SFURTI clusters, units owned by women, SC or ST owners, units in the North East, and units that join through an industry association or an OEM
- Training and awareness programmes for your team
- Udyam registered unit (manufacturing units are the intended beneficiaries)
- Management time for the programme
Register and take the Lean Pledge on the Lean portal, then apply for handholding at the level you want. Before you sign with a consultant, ask the portal or your MSME Development Facilitation Office whether new assistance is being sanctioned after 31 March 2026.