Lok Sabha Question No. 6368 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-12
Subject: Support to Rural Women and Young Entrepreneurs
Ministry: SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Asked by: NINONG ERING

## MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6368

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.04.2017

## SUPPORT TO RURAL WOMEN AND YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

## 6368. SHRI NINONG ERING:

## Will  the  Minister  of  SKILL  DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has developed a roadmap to support rural women and young entrepreneurs;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  steps  to  provide  non­discriminatory markets for the existing rural entrepreneurs in India; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF

## SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (SHRI RAJIV PRATAP RUDY)

(a) to (d) Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched its flagship  scheme  Pradhan  Mantri  Yuva  Udyamita  Vikas  Abhiyaan  (PM­YUVA)  on  9th November, 2016 to impart entrepreneurship education and training. The scheme spans over five  years (2016­17  to 2020­21)  with  a project  cost of  Rs.  499.94  crore  and  will provide entrepreneurship education and training to over 14.5 lakh students. Under this scheme, over all  at  least  30%  students  enrolled  would  be  women.  Ministry  of  Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises is already implementing Trade Related Entrepreneurship Development  Assistance  Development  (TREAD)  Scheme  which  envisages  economic empowerment  of  women.  Under  this  Scheme  financial    loans  are  provided    by Nationalized Banks and grants by Government  of India upto 30%  of the loan  subject to  maximum  limit  of  Rs.30.00  Iakh  through  NGOs  for  capacity  building  and  for undertaking  self­employment ventures  by women  in non­ farm activities.

The  Ministry  of  Women  and  Child  Development  is  implementing  Rashtriya Mahila  Kosh  (RMK)  (National  Credit  Fund  for  Women)  which  provide  incentives  and concessions  to  women  entrepreneurs  and  Support  to  Training  and  Employment Programme for Women  (STEP).  RMK  is  an  apex  micro­finance  organization  with  an objective  to  provide  micro­credit  to  poor  women  for  various  livelihood  support  and income generating activities. STEP scheme aims to provide competencies and skill that enable women to become self employed/entrepreneurs.

Likewise, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare in line with the National Policy  on  Farmers  -  2007  has  included  mainstreaming  the  human  and  gender dimensions  in  all  farm  policies  and  programmes  as  one  of  the  major  policy  goals. Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC & FW), as a part of its mainstreaming efforts ensures flow of funds to the tune of 30% for the benefit of women farmers  under  its  various  beneficiary  oriented  schemes.  The  guidelines  of  schemes namely Support to State Extension programmes for Extension Reforms; National Food Security  Mission;  National  Mission  on  Oilseed  &  Oil  Palm;  National  Mission  on Sustainable  Agriculture;  Sub­Mission  for  Seed  &  Planting  Material;  Sub­Mission  on Agricultural  Mechanization  and  Mission  for  Integrated  Development  of  Horticulture stipulate that States and other Implementing Agencies are required to incur at least 30% expenditure on Women.  National Gender Resource Centre in Agriculture (NGRCA) set up in the Department acts as a focal point to converge all gender related activities and issues  in  agriculture  &  allied  sectors  within  and  outside  DAC  &  FW;  add  gender dimension to agriculture policies & programmes and render advisory/advocacy services to  the  States/UTs  to  ensure  that  the  policies  and  programmes  in  agriculture  are  fully engendered.

Further, Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) is undertaking Skill development through Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETI), thereby enabling the trainee to take bank credit and start his/her own Micro­enterprise. Some of such  trainees  may  also  seek  regular  salaried  jobs.   The  total  number  of  candidates, including  women  candidates,  trained  by  RSETIs  in  the  last  three  Financial  Years  is given below:­

| Financial Year   |   Total No. of candidates trained |   No. of Women candidates trained | %of Women candidates trained   |
|------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
| 2014 ­ 15        |                            392206 |                            226691 | 57.8%                          |
| 2015 ­ 16        |                            436388 |                            255943 | 58.6%                          |
| 2016 ­ 17        |                            444974 |                            264268 | 59.3%                          |

RSETI scheme does not facilitate in creating market for rural entrepreneurs. However, through RSETI courses an effort is made to build capabilities in trainees for creating forward and backward linkage to create better marketing enterprise.

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