Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), in collaboration with implementation partner PwC, organised awareness sessions on the National Pension System (NPS) for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs during the 2nd Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) 2026 held in Rajkot on January 11–12.

The conference, inaugurated by Narendra Modi, is part of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit initiative and focuses on showcasing regional strengths while aligning with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 and Viksit Gujarat @2047.

The Regional MSME Conclave, held on the second day of the event, was attended by senior leaders including Piyush Goyal, Jitubhai Savjibhai Vaghani, and Hasmukh Adhia, underlining the government’s focus on strengthening the MSME ecosystem.

Addressing MSME stakeholders, Mamta Rohit, Executive Director, PFRDA, stressed the importance of retirement planning in the MSME sector, which employs nearly 29 crore people nationwide. She highlighted that only about 29 per cent of India’s elderly population currently receives a pension, underscoring the growing need for structured retirement solutions.

She noted that the MSME sector is the country’s second-largest employer after agriculture, with Gujarat alone accounting for around 42 lakh registered MSMEs across more than 230 GIDC industrial estates and 186 MSME clusters. Rohit emphasised that NPS offers MSMEs a flexible, portable and tax-efficient retirement solution with no minimum employee requirement.

As of January 2026, NPS and the Atal Pension Yojana together manage assets worth ?16.53 lakh crore and serve over 9.28 crore subscribers. Recent reforms include higher equity exposure limits, enhanced withdrawal flexibility, extension of the maximum account holding age to 85 years, and the introduction of NPS Vatsalya for early pension planning.

The event also featured speakers from industry and global organisations, while PFRDA set up an information stall at the Udyami Mela to educate MSMEs on NPS enrollment and benefits. Officials highlighted the NPS Corporate Sector Model as a structured social security solution enabling employers to support employees’ long-term financial security.