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Replace 'SSI' with 'Micro and Small Enterprises' in Bank Docs

Current · Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/143 · issued 03 Aug 2011 · ~1 min read
Quick answerRBI directs all scheduled commercial banks (excluding RRBs) to replace the term 'Small Scale Industries' with 'Micro and Small Enterprises' in their internal guidelines, aligning with government notifications from 2006 and 2009.
The rule, in the simplest words
How it plays out — a real example

A payments & clearing officer in Indore is updating the bank's loan forms. She crosses out 'SSI' wherever it appears and writes 'Micro and Small Enterprises' instead, following the RBI circular. She then emails all branch managers to do the same, so every customer's paperwork uses the correct term.

What changed

RBI issued a circular on August 3, 2011, instructing banks to substitute the term 'Micro and Small Enterprises' for 'Small Scale Industries' in all documents. This follows government notifications S.O.1642(E) dated September 29, 2006, and S.O.563(E) dated February 27, 2009.

What it means for you

Banks must update their internal policies, loan documentation, and reporting formats to reflect the new terminology. This ensures consistency with government definitions and may affect priority sector lending classification and MSME reporting.

What you must do

Who it affects

All scheduled commercial banks (excluding Regional Rural Banks), Bank branches and controlling offices handling MSME lending

❓ Common questions

Does this circular apply to Regional Rural Banks?

No, the circular explicitly excludes Regional Rural Banks from its scope.

What government notifications are referenced in this circular?

The circular references S.O.1642(E) dated September 29, 2006, from the Ministry of Small Scale Industries, and S.O.563(E) dated February 27, 2009, from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2011-12/143 RPCD.SME & NFS. BC. No.14/06.02.31/ 2011-12 August 3, 2011 The Chairman/Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer All Scheduled Commercial Banks (excluding Regional Rural Banks) Dear Sir Substitution of term Micro and Small Enterprises in place of SSI in the documents Copies of the notification No.S.O.1642 (E) dated September 29, 2006 issued by the Ministry of Small Scale Industries and S.O.563 (E) dated February 27, 2009 issued by Ministry of Commerce and Industry regarding substitution of term 'Micro and Small Enterprises' in place of the term 'Small Scale Industries' are enclosed. Kindly ensure that your internal guidelines / instructions are compliant with these notifications. 2. You are requested to issue suitable instructions to your branches / controlling offices. 3. Kindly acknowledge receipt. Yours faithfully (C.D. Srinivasan) Chief General Manager Encl: as above
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2011-12/143 · issued 03 Aug 2011. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
🧰 Tools — save, print, templates & related
Most relevant forCompliance TeamBranch Manager — Private Bank / SFBBranch Manager — PSU / Co-op / RRB (sanctioning powers)RM — Loans (Assets)Product Manager (Digital & Lending)Legal / Documentation & Recovery-Legal
🛠 Banker’s toolkit — checklists & reply templates →
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Who does what — compliance checklist
🏦 Branch Manager
  • Issue suitable instructions to all branches and controlling offices to ensure compliance.
📜 Compliance
  • Update all internal guidelines and instructions to replace 'SSI' with 'Micro and Small Enterprises'.
  • Acknowledge receipt of the RBI circular to confirm action taken.
Grouped from the action items above — a single circular may involve more than one team.
Worked example & action-note template

Example: if you are a Compliance officer at a bank this circular applies to (All scheduled commercial banks (excluding Regional Rural Banks), Bank branches and controlling offices handling MSME lending), your first concrete step on “Replace 'SSI' with 'Micro and Small Enterprises' in Bank Docs” is: “Update all internal guidelines and instructions to replace 'SSI' with 'Micro and Small Enterprises'.” (RBI issued this 03 Aug 2011).

  1. Circular: RBI/2011-12/143 -- Replace 'SSI' with 'Micro and Small Enterprises' in Bank Docs
  2. Issued: 03 Aug 2011
  3. Action required: Update all internal guidelines and instructions to replace 'SSI' with 'Micro and Small Enterprises'.
  4. Action required: Issue suitable instructions to all branches and controlling offices to ensure compliance.
  5. Action required: Acknowledge receipt of the RBI circular to confirm action taken.
  6. Owner: ____________ Target date: ____________
  7. Board/committee approval needed? Y / N
  8. Evidence filed in compliance register on: ____________
Built only from this circular’s own published fields — not legal advice; always confirm against the official RBI source.

💬 Banker Discussion

Discuss this circular with fellow bankers — reply, upvote what helps, report what doesn’t belong. Be professional; no client data. Views are the commenter’s own, not BankPulse’s.

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BankPulse Compliance Evidence Pack — generated 03 Aug 2026 · status cross-checked against RBI’s official withdrawal register (refreshed weekly).
Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=6655&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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