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@article{206954,
        author = {Mr. Shripad Balkrushna Karjatkar and Dr. Kishor Nikam},
        title = {Impact of Selected Public Sector Bank Schemes on Entrepreneurship Promotion in Pune District: Evidence from a Pilot Study},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {2},
        pages = {3701-3711},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=206954},
        abstract = {This paper reports an empirical pilot study of selected public sector bank schemes that support entrepreneurship in Pune District. The pilot examines the accessibility and perceived usefulness of these schemes and, just as importantly, tests the reliability, clarity and field feasibility of the instruments proposed for a larger doctoral study. A descriptive and exploratory design was adopted. Primary data were gathered through a structured questionnaire administered to entrepreneurs, semi-structured interviews with bank and development-agency officials, informal discussions, and field observation. The pilot covered 47 participants: 40 entrepreneurs drawn equally from agriculture/agri-business, manufacturing, technology/start-ups and services; five public sector bank officials; and two government or development-agency officials. Early evidence shows MUDRA was recognised more readily than CGTMSE and the Fund of Funds for Startups. The main practical difficulties reported were documentation requirements, eligibility conditions, confusion over collateral- and guarantee-related terminology, limited forward-looking advisory support, and sparse communication during processing. Reliability coefficients of 0.74 to 0.81 indicate acceptable-to-good internal consistency for an early-stage instrument across four questionnaire dimensions. The pilot also surfaced an important construct issue: the five interventions differ in institutional design. Stand-Up India and MUDRA are direct bank-credit schemes, PMEGP is a hybrid of bank finance and a capital-linked subsidy delivered through implementing agencies, CGTMSE is a lender-facing guarantee rather than an independent loan, and the Fund of Funds for Startups operates indirectly through SIDBI-backed alternative investment funds. The study recommends scheme-specific wording, separate measurement of application, sanction, rejection and disbursement stages, plain-language explanations, revised respondent routing, and a dedicated evidence strategy for the Fund of Funds. The findings support the feasibility of the main study and suggest the pilot be read as a methods trial rather than an area-wide generalisation.},
        keywords = {entrepreneurship finance, Pune District, pilot study, MUDRA, Stand-Up India, PMEGP, CGTMSE, Fund of Funds for Startups, financial inclusion, MSME development.},
        month = {July},
        }