An evidence-based assessment of MSME credit health across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, examining credit growth, asset quality, sectoral trends and structural challenges. The paper identifies key regional risks and policy priorities to strengthen MSME financing and long-term economic resilience.

Chandigarh is administratively a city, but economically it is part of a wider region. Every day, people move between Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Zirakpur and Kharar for work, education, healthcare and business. Housing, traffic and infrastructure decisions in one jurisdiction affect the others. The region therefore needs a shared policy lens—one that follows real economic effects across boundaries, compares outcomes and strengthens accountability while respecting instituti