New Delhi: 

NITI Frontier Tech, in collaboration with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), launched Dx-EDGE, a national initiative to embrace digital transformation across Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in India. Dx-EDGE is a significant move towards the digital enablement of MSMEs, which serves to stimulate innovation, improvement in productivity, and competitiveness overall.

Empowering MSMEs by Digital Transformation:

 "This initiative aims to not only connect all our MSMEs but also leverage artificial intelligence to achieve digital upscaling. Today, we have a very large group of students graduating with a digital scope for their particular discipline. Manpower with digital skills is critical, so I really believe that upscaling a transformed sector is a good initiative."

"Engineers are everywhere, in every company, and there are also quite a few global capability centres established in India. This is an excellent opportunity for both students and industries. If played well, it will have a phenomenal impact," he added.

He continued on the importance of skilling, reskilling, and upskilling and added, "We are contacting students throughout the country using self-learning, peer learning, collaborative learning, and interdisciplinary approaches. These technologies are the future, and AI is like super intelligence for enterprises to grow while reducing costs."

Emphasising the importance of emerging technologies, Sitharam mentioned that AI, blockchain, cybersecurity, and data science are all included in India's education system. "We have implemented courses on digital public infrastructure, space technology, defence technology, and atomic technology and allowed graduate students to specialise in them," he said.

Dealing with MSME Issues: NITI Aayog's CEO

BVR Subrahmanyam, CEO of NITI Aayog summarised the issues facing MSMEs and emphasised their importance to India's economic growth. He said these comments at the launch event in New Delhi on March 26, 2025. "MSMEs don't exist in isolation. Their issues must be dealt with decisively as clusters, groups, and clusters, businesses in collaboration. Medium enterprises today will be large enterprises tomorrow, and the Government of India must support them to ensure this transition."

Subrahmanyam identified three distinct issues faced by MSMEs: improvement of technology, development of a skilled workforce, and compliance with a set of quality certification standards.

Dx-EDGE was officially launched as a solution to these challenges. "The CII and NITI Frontier Tech Hub Dx-EDGE platform marks a transformative leap in India’s digital journey. By establishing a nationwide network of digital transformation facilitation centers, this initiative democratises access to skills and innovation, enabling MSMEs to scale sustainably, enhance global competitiveness, and play a pivotal role in realizing the Viksit Bharat vision," said Subrahmanyam.

Government’s Commitment to MSME Growth:

SCL Das, Secretary, Ministry of MSMEs, reiterated his viewpoint on the significance of technology and digitalisation to India’s future. "Frontier tech, digitalisation, and technology have become necessary interventions to ensure predictability to navigate the current global headwinds and upcoming challenges. The government has put in place ongoing enablers for your industry to line up behind our national vision of Viksit Bharat. We must ensure MSMEs are at the forefront of India’s journey to strengthened domestic production, increased exports, climate adaptability, resilience, and technological evolution," he said.

Das highlighted that Dx-EDGE is indeed a significant milestone in the right direction, particularly because of its Public-Private-Academia Partnership (PPAP) model. He commented, "This partnership will be paramount in the success of this venture."

An Important Strategic Pillar to a Digital Future:

Debjani Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow, NITI Aayog, and Chief Architect, NITI FTH, engaged similarly. "Future-proofing MSMEs via digital adoption along your journey to Viksit Bharat is no longer a both/and option, it is the only option. With Dx-EDGE we are building an exciting ecosystem-lead approach to preparing MSMEs to embrace technology, build greater resilience, while thriving together in an increasingly digital world," she said.

"This initiative is a vital part of our vision at NITI Frontier Tech Hub to hasten India's transformation into a frontier tech nation and ensuring no enterprise is left behind the digital revolution," she added.

Bridging the Technology Gap in MSMEs:

Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General of CII, emphasised the significance of MSMEs in India's economy. "Dx-EDGE will help bridge the technology gap for MSMEs, to ensure they are viable in an ever-changing global landscape," he added

Through Dx-EDGE, MSMEs will have access to affordable technology solutions, industry partnerships, and digital capacity-building programs. This initiative aims to onboard MSMEs into the global value chain by supporting them with the digital tools and skills they need.

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