Lok Sabha Question No. 1143 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-10
Subject: Women Entrepreneurship in Odisha
Ministry: SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Asked by: Shri Ananta Nayak

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. - 1143

ANSWERED ON 10/02/2025

## WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN ODISHA

## 1143.  SHRI ANANTA NAYAK

Will the Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Women-Led  Programme  aims  to  address  the  challenges  faced  by  women  in entrepreneurship through crucial skills, knowledge and networking opportunities, particularly in Odisha;
- (b) the details of number of programmes that aims to empower women in Odisha, including rural and tribal areas such as Keonjhar;
- (c) the details of efforts undertaken by the Government to collaborate with private and public sector entities to empower women entrepreneurs in Odisha; and
- (d) the details of specific initiatives or partnerships that have been launched in the said State?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) to (d) The Government of India recognizes the importance of offering crucial skills, knowledge and networking  opportunities  to  women  entrepreneurs  to  address  the  challenges  faced  by  them  in overcoming  societal,  economic  and  structural  barriers,  lack  of  access  to  business  opportunities  and training. The Government has taken various initiatives to build entrepreneurial mindsets and capabilities among women, support the growth of women-led enterprises, and provide mentoring and handholding support to address the challenges faced by them in entrepreneurship.

The  Ministry  of  Skill  Development  and  Entrepreneurship  (MSDE)  through  its  autonomous organizations, namely  National Institute for  Entrepreneurship  and  Small  Business  Development (NIESBUD)  and  Indian  Institute  of  Entrepreneurship  (IIE)  has  taken  various  initiatives  to  promote entrepreneurship development amongst all sections of the society, including women across the country, including  the  state  of  Odisha.  The  details  of  such  initiatives  undertaken  by  the  Ministry  are placed  at Annexure I.

Further, there are various schemes/ programmes being implemented by Ministries/ Departments of  Government of India with the objective of promoting entrepreneurs, including female entrepreneurs. The details of some of the key initiatives implemented by other Ministries/ Departments in the state of Odisha are at Annexure II .

MSDE has collaborated with both private and public sector to empower women entrepreneurship by  providing  incubation  support,  network  of  mentors,  industry  connect,  credit  and  market  linkages. NIESBUD  has  signed  a  Memorandum  of  Understanding  (MoU)  with  Meta  to  support  the  Indian entrepreneurial  ecosystem.   The  aim  of  the  MoU  is  to  provide  aspiring  and  current  small  business owners,  including  women,  with  the  necessary  tools,  knowledge,  and  resources  to  thrive  in  today's dynamic market environment. The partnership will help in training budding and existing entrepreneurs in digital marketing skills in seven regional languages. During Financial Year 2024-25, a total number of 191 participants have been imparted training through this initiative in Odisha

NIESBUD, in collaboration with Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), organized Entrepreneurship Awareness  Programmes  (EAPs)  with  the  goal  of  promoting  entrepreneurship  as  a  viable  livelihood option  among  unemployed  youths,  school  dropouts,  and  students,  including  women.  The  project  is sponsored  by  HUL  under  its  Corporate  Social  Responsibility  (CSR)  initiative.  The  project  aims  to encourage self-employment and foster entrepreneurship across India. During Financial Years 2023-24 and 2024-25, a total of 5272 participants have been trained in Odisha through the EAPs, of which 3532 are women.

## ANNEXURES  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  OF  PART  (a)  to  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1143 ANSWERED ON 10.02.2025 REGARDING 'WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN ODISHA'

The  details  of  various  initiatives  being  implemented  by  the  Ministry  of  Skill  Development  and Entrepreneurship for women entrepreneurs in Odisha are as under:

1. Strengthening Entrepreneurial Climate through Capacity Building, Incubation Support, Mentoring,  and  Handholding  under  SANKALP Scheme  MSDE through  its  autonomous  institute, NIESBUD  implemented  a  project  for  strengthening  the  entrepreneurship  ecosystem  of  different marginalized sections of the society and women under the Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for  Livelihood  Promotion (SANKALP)  Scheme since December 2022. The scheme aimed at creating, fostering and promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship among the various target groups through Capacity Building,  Incubation  Support,  Mentoring  and  Handholding.  SANKALP  has  been  implemented  in  three phases.  Under  SANKALP  1,  a  total  of  23825  beneficiaries  have  been  trained  during  Financial  Years 2022-23 to  2024-25,  out  of  which  13861  are  women,  including  2029  women  beneficiaries  in  Odisha. Under SANKALP 2, a total of 23841 beneficiaries have been trained during Financial Year 2022-23 to 2024-25, out of which 18270 are women, including 919 women beneficiaries in Odisha. Under SANKALP 3, a total of 4274 beneficiaries have been trained during Financial Year 2024-25, out of which 2970 are women, including 315 women beneficiaries in Odisha. In Odisha, SANKALP is being implemented in the districts  of  Gajapati,  Dhenkanal,  Kendujhar  (Keonjhar),  Rayagada,  Mayurbhanja,  Bargarh  (Baragarh), Malkangiri,  Khordha,  Koraput,  Sundergarh,  Gajapati,  Nabarangpur,  Kalahandi,  Bubaneswar,  Balangir, Ganjam, Sambalpur, Baleshwar, Kandhamal and Nuapada.
2. Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) Under the Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value  Enhancement (STRIVE) of MSDE,  NIESBUD  has  conducted awareness and sensitization  programmes at National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) between October 2023 to May 2024. These activities were followed by the selection of prospective entrepreneurs  to  undergo  the  Entrepreneurship  Development  Programme  (EDP).  The  Institute  has successfully conducted EDP training for the target groups and is providing mentoring and handholding support  to  help  trainees  establish  their  enterprises.  A  total  of  45339  beneficiaries  have  been  trained under the project  during  Financial  Years  2023-24  to  2024-25,  out  of  which  12437  are  women,  which includes 680 women beneficiaries in Odisha. In Odisha, trainings under the initiative were conducted in the districts of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Kendujhar (Keonjhar) and Sundergarh.
3.  Pradhan  Mantri  Janjati  Adivasi  Nyaya  Maha  Abhiyan  (PM  JANMAN)  MSDE  through  its autonomous institute, NIESBUD has been implementing the skilling and entrepreneurship component of Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyaan (PM JANMAN) - a scheme of Ministry of Tribal Affairs for upliftment of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), since March 2024. The project is being  implemented  with  support  of  Tribal  Cooperative  Marketing  Development  Federation  of  India (TRIFED) in 18 States across the country under which a total of 500 VDVKs are to be set up. A total of 39576  beneficiaries  have  been  trained  under  the  project  till  January  2025,  out  of  which  31732  are women, including 3410 women beneficiaries in Odisha. In Odisha, the initiative is being implemented in the districts  of  Angul, Kendujhar (Keonjhar), Gajapati, Kendujhar (Keonjhar), Malkangiri, Mayurbhanja, Nuapada and Sundergarh.
4. Rashtriya Udyamita Vikas Pariyojana on Pilot Basis for PM SVANidhi Beneficiaries MSDE, in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), launched the Rashtriya Udyamita Vikas  Pariyojana  (RUVP)  on  a  pilot  basis  in  February  2024  for  PM  SVANidhi  beneficiaries,  with NIESBUD  as  one  of  the  implementing  partners.  Through  the  project,  entrepreneurship  training  was provided  to  1744  PM-SVANidhi  beneficiaries  across  10  cities,  with  more  than  40%  participation  from women. The program included one week of classroom training followed by 21 weeks of mentoring and hand-holding support. A total of 1744 beneficiaries have been trained under the project during Financial Year 2023-24, out of which 1205 are women, including 92 women beneficiaries in Sambalpur district of Odisha.
5. Entrepreneurial Climate through Training of Trainers (ToTs) and Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) in Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSSs) NIESBUD has implemented a project for creating entrepreneurial climate through the Training of Trainers (ToTs) and the Entrepreneurship  Development  Programme  (EDP)  in  Jan  Shikshan  Sansthans  (JSSs)  from  October 2022  to  September  2023.  The  project  aimed  at  creating,  fostering  and  promoting  the  spirit  of entrepreneurship among various target groups through Capacity Building, Mentoring and Handholding. A

total of 5739 beneficiaries have been trained under the project during Financial Years 2022-23 to 202324,  out  of  which  4771  are  women,  including  564  women  beneficiaries  in  Bhadrak,  Boudh  (Baudh), Cuttack,  Debagarh  (Deogarh),  Dhenkanal,  Gajapati,  Ganjam,  Jagatsinghapur,  Jajpur,  Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Kendrapara, Khordha, Koraput, Nuapada, Puri and Bhubaneswar districts of Odisha.

6. Pilot Project for Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP) NIESBUD implemented a Pilot Project  for  Entrepreneurship  Development  Program  in  10  States  supported  by  the  Ministry  of  Skill Development  and  Entrepreneurship,  from  January  2020  to  March  2023,  which  aimed  at  creating, fostering and promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship among the target groups through Entrepreneurship Development Programme, Mentoring and Handholding support. A total of 5000 beneficiaries have been trained  under  the  project  during  Financial  Years  2019-20  to  2022-23,  out  of  which  3089  are  women, including 418 women beneficiaries in Balangir, Baleshwar, Bargarh, Cuttack, Ganjam, Kandhamal and Nabarangpur districts of Odisha.
7. Digital Marketing and Entrepreneurship Development for Women Self Help Groups - NIESBUD implemented a project on  Digital  Marketing  and Entrepreneurship  Development  for Women  Self  Help Groups (WSHGs) in Odisha, supported by Odisha Skill Development Authority from March 2022 to July 2022, for capacity building and to enable them to access the market through e-commerce platforms. The project has been piloted in 10 Aspirational districts of Odisha namely Bolangir, Dhenkanal, Rayagada, Malkangiri,  Nabarangpur,  Kalahandi,  Gajapati,  Kandhamal,  Nuapada  and  Koraput.  A  total  number  of 1993 WSHG members have been imparted training in Odisha under the project during Financial Years 2021-22 to 2022-23.
8.  Pilot  Project  on  Entrepreneurship  Development  in  the  Holy  City -  MSDE  implemented  a  Pilot Project  on  Entrepreneurship  Promotion  and  Mentoring  of  Micro  and  Small  Businesses  in  six  temple towns, namely Bodh Gaya, Haridwar, Kollur, Pandharpur, Puri, and Varanasi from December 2021 to July 2023. IIE implemented the project in three Holy Cities i.e. Bodh Gaya, Kollur and Puri. A total of 1318  women  participants  have  benefited  in  the  Puri  district  of  Odisha  through  the  project  during Financial Years 2021-22 to 2022-23.

The  details  of  various  initiatives  being  implemented  by  other  Ministries/  Departments  of Government of India for women entrepreneurs across country, including the state of Odisha are as under:

1.  Ministry of Tribal  Affairs  (MoTA)  The  Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs  through  its  two  agencies  namely Tribal  Co-operative  Marketing  Development  Federation  of  India  (TRIFED)  and  National  Scheduled Tribes  Finance  &  Development  Corporation  (NSTFDC)  has  contributed  significantly  in  promoting economic activities being undertaken by the tribal communities and has impacted in turn their economic development.  NSTFDC  is  implementing  Adivasi  Mahila  Sashaktikaran  Yojana  (AMSY)  which  is  an exclusive  scheme  for  economic  development  of  Scheduled  Tribes  Women,  including  the  Scheduled Tribes Women in Odisha. Under the scheme, NSTFDC provides loan up to 90% for projects costing up to ₹2.00 lakh at highly concessional rate of interest of 4% per annum.

Livelihood Incubation Centre at Rourkela (Odisha) for Tribal Livelihood is a collaborative project having  participation  of  three  organizations  namely  National  Skill  Development  Corporation  (NSDC), Rourkela Steel Plant (Steel Authority of India) and National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC). It is a specific initiative aimed at training and fostering entrepreneurship within the tribal communities of Odisha.

2. Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare is implementing 'Innovation and AgriEntrepreneurship  Development'  programme  under  Rashtriya  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (RKVY)  with  an objective to promote innovation and agri-entrepreneurship by providing financial support and nurturing an  incubation  ecosystem  in  the  country.  Five  Knowledge  Partners  (KPs)  and  twenty-four  RKVY Agribusiness  Incubators  (R-ABIs)  provide  training  and  incubate  Startups  for  implementation  of  this programme.

Under this programme, for idea/pre-seed stage, a selected Start-up shall be eligible for maximum financial assistance of Rupees Five Lakh in one installment.  For seed stage, a selected Start-up shall be eligible for maximum financial assistance of Rupees Twenty-Five Lakh in two installments of 50% and 50% based on the recommendation given by the Selection and Investment Committee (SIC).  Each KP can select a maximum 20-25 Start-ups and each R-ABI can select a maximum 10-12 start-ups in each category of pre seed and seed stage in a financial year.

Trainings,  technical  and  financial  assistance  is  provided  to  Startups  to  launch  their  products, services,  business  platforms,  etc.  into  the  market  and  facilitate  them  to  scale  up  their  products  and operations to attain business viability. More than 5000 Agri-Startups have been trained by KPs and RABIs under this programme during FY 2019-20 to 2024-25.

Under the 'Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development' programme of PM-RKVY during 2019-20 to 2024-25, financial assistance of Rs. 124.96 crore has been released to 1749 Agri-Startups including 448 women entrepreneurs/Startups through various KPs and R-ABIs. In the State of Odisha, 62 Startups have been supported under the programme. In Odisha, National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack has been appointed as R-ABI for the implementation of the programme.

3. Ministry of Women and Child Development Government of India implements 'Mission Shakti' - an integrated women empowerment programme as umbrella scheme for safety, security and empowerment of  women.  The  Umbrella  Scheme  of  Mission  Shakti  has  two  sub-schemes  namely  "Sambal"  and "Samarthya'.

'Samarthya' sub-scheme, has a component i.e. Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW) known as  SANKALP:  HEW  (Supportive  Action  for  Nurturing  and  Knowledge-Based  Advancement,  Last-Mile Delivery and Potential Realization of Women : Hub for Empowerment of Women), set up at National, State and District levels for empowerment of women with aims to facilitate inter-sectoral convergence of schemes and programs meant for women at Central, State/ UT and district levels with the mandate to create  an  environment  in  which  women  realize  their  full  potential  to  address  gaps  in  state  action  for women  and  for  promoting  inter-ministerial  and  inter-sectoral  convergence  through  strengthening  the processes that promote holistic empowerment of women by creating an environment conducive to social change by improving access and utilization of government schemes.

The  support  under  the  HEW  is  for  guiding,  linking  and  hand  holding  women  to  various institutional and schematic set ups for their empowerment and development including facilitating access to healthcare, quality education, career and  vocational counselling/ training, financial inclusion, entrepreneurship,  backward  and  forward  linkages,  health  and  safety  for  workers,  social  security  and digital literacy at districts/ Blocks/ Gram Panchayats level across the country.'

SANKALP: HEW is being implemented in all States/UTs except the State of West Bengal and functional  in  35  States/UTs.  As  on  date,  total  35  State  SANKALP  HEWs  and  742  District  SANKALP: HEWs are functional.

## 4. Department of Science and Technology

4.1  National  Initiative  for  Developing  and  Harnessing  Innovations  (NIDHI) -  In  order  to  foster innovations  in  the  country,  the  Department  of  Science  &  Technology  has  been  supporting  various activities under National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) by providing them training  in  entrepreneurship  skills,  access  to  incubation  facilities,  mentorship,  and  tailored  funding mechanisms. These initiatives empower and encourage innovators and startups, including the women led  startups  to  convert  their  ideas  into  a  successful  business  model.  Financial  support  is  provided through Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) for Mentorship, incubation support including lab access and  timely  availability  early-stage  funding  through  NIDHI  Entrepreneurs-in-Residence  (EIR)  program; NIDHI-Promoting  and  Accelerating  Young  and  Aspiring  Innovators  and  Startups  (PRAYAS);  NIDHIAccelerator and NIDHI-Seed Support Program (NIDHI-SSP) to incubated startups. In order to strengthen innovation and startup incubation ecosystem in Tier II and Tier III cities, a new program named NIDHIInclusive  Technology  Business  Incubators  (iTBI)  program  was  launched  by  DST  to  support  startup incubation  centres  in  academic  setups  in  tier  II  and  tier  III  cities.  The  iTBI  program  has  helped  in increasing  entrepreneurial  inclusiveness  in  terms  of  geographies,  gender  and  persons  with  special abilities.

4.2 Women Entrepreneurship Development Programme (WEDP) - Ministry of Science of Technology implements  'Innovation  based  Science  and  Technology  Entrepreneurship  Training  Programme'  which focuses on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) training for participants and encourages participants to take entrepreneurship as a career from all over the country including the women from the rural and tribal  area  of  State  of  Odisha.  Under  the  scheme,  Science  and  Technology  based  Innovation  and Entrepreneurship  (I&E)  training  programmes  are  implemented  by  the  Institute  of  higher  learning, Incubators, S&T park and Non-Governmental Organization etc; for the participants including the specific programme  on  Women  Entrepreneurship  Development  Programme  (WEDP).  From  Financial  Years 2019-20 to 2022-23, a total of 327 women have been trained under WEDP in Odisha.

4.3 Science and Technology for Women (STW) programme STW aims to improve the weakest link of the predominant livelihood system of women in an area and promote social entrepreneurship based on  the  strongest  link  of  the  livelihood  system  through  interventions  of  Science,  Technology  and Innovations. The Women Technology Parks (WTP) act as resource centers under the STW programme and provide necessary support to women from a single platform for their training and capacity building in various technologies, for increasing health and nutrition level in women through development of valueadded food, herbal medicines, diet supplements, etc. Efforts are being made that women in rural and peri-urban areas receive training on live technology models demonstrated in WTPs for skill development and capacity building as per the requirement of S&T based interventions, using area specific resources, with goal of achieving self- reliance locally for economic re-growth.

5. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) The Government launched the Startup  India  initiative  on  16th  January  2016  with  an  intent  to  build  a  strong  ecosystem  for  nurturing innovation, startups and encouraging investments in the startup ecosystem of the country. As on 31st December 2024, 1,57,706 entities have been recognized as startups by DPIIT, out of which 2769 are from the Odisha. From the recognized startups, a total of 75,935 entities self-reported to have at least one-woman director/ partner, out of which 1386 are woman led startups from the state of Odisha.

Further, the Government is implementing specific initiatives/programmes under the Startup India initiative  to  promote women entrepreneurship across the country. The details of such initiatives are as under:

- i. To promote flow of both equity and debt to women led startups, 10% of the fund in the Fund of Funds for Startups Scheme operated by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is reserved for women-led startups.
- ii. Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) led by women are eligible to be considered for a higher level of  management  fee  (0.1%  per  annum).  The  same  benefit  is  also  extended  to  AIFs  which  are focused on women led startups.
- iii. Under  Credit  Guarantee  Scheme  for  Startups  (CGSS),  for  availing  the  guarantee  cover,  the Member Institution pays Annual Guarantee Fee (AGF) of 2% p.a. of the disbursement/outstanding amount.  For  units  from  the  North  East  region  as  well  as  those  of  women  entrepreneurs,  the Member Institution pays a standard rate of 1.5% p.a. of the disbursement/outstanding amount.
- iv. Women Capacity Development Programme (WING) is a unique Capacity Development Program for women-led startups, to identify and support both aspiring and established women entrepreneurs  in  their  startup  journeys.  The  workshops  are  open  to  variety  of  business  sectors including Tech, Construction, Product, Machine, Food, Agriculture, Education, etc. The workshops serve as a platform for emerging women entrepreneurs and other stakeholders to discuss the key challenges  facing  women  entrepreneurs.  WING  workshops  create  a  conducive  environment  to share best practices and experiences in overcoming challenges and to gain insights learned from the business models adopted in the Indian context.
- v. A Virtual Incubation Program for Women Entrepreneurs was conducted to support women-led tech startups with pro-bono acceleration support.
- vi. Startup  India  Hub:  A  webpage  dedicated  to  women  entrepreneurs  has  been  designed  on  the Startup India portal. The page includes various policy measures for women entrepreneurs by both Central and State Governments.
- vii. ASCEND  Startup  Workshop  Series  and  Women  for  Startups  Workshops:  The  Government organized a series of startup workshops -ASCEND (Accelerating Startup Calibre & Entrepreneurial  Drive),  for  the  entrepreneurs,  aspiring  entrepreneurs,  and  students  from  Northeastern  region.  In  addition,  the  workshops  are  conducted  with  a  specific  focus  on  women entrepreneurs across the northeastern states. The  workshops have witnessed participation from ecosystem stakeholders such as government officials, startups, aspiring entrepreneurs, investors, academic institutions, etc.
- viii. SuperStree Podcast: With a vision to inspire a greater number of women across all regions in India to become entrepreneurs, the SuperStree video podcast series has been launched on women in the Indian Startup Ecosystem. The podcast spreads awareness related to innovations from women and to further strengthen women entrepreneurship in the country.
- ix. Through  various  awareness  programmes  and  capacity  building  programmes  organized  by  the Government, and through print media and social media platforms, the Government also creates awareness  about  the  existing  schemes  which  support  micro,  small  and  medium  entrepreneurs, including women entrepreneurs.
- x. Women For Startups: State Workshops for Women Entrepreneurs were held across States to build the capacity of aspiring and  existing women  entrepreneurs.  The workshops  focused on government scheme awareness, mock pitching, and finance-related training.
- xi. The States' Startup Ranking on support to startup ecosystems is primarily an exercise to identify good practices across all the Indian states. The evaluation includes a specific provision to gauge the  formulation  and  implementation  of  policies  and  special  incentives  to  promote  women-led startups in each state. The particular action point has witnessed active engagement and thereon reporting of measures undertaken by participating States and UTs.
- xii. To identify the depth, quality and spread of innovation, inclusivity and diversity, and entrepreneurship in country, the Government instituted the National Startup Awards (NSA). NSA recognizes and promotes startups across 20 sectors and special categories. All four editions of the NSA (2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023) have featured a  special  category and  award for women-led startups.
- xiii. Pitch  Forward  is  an  initiative  to  provide  women  entrepreneurs,  especially  from  non-metros,  a platform to connect with marquee investors. It offers startups across various stages and sectors the opportunity to pitch directly to venture capital funds.

6.  Ministry  of  Minority  Affairs  The  Ministry  of  Minority  Affairs  implemented  'Nai  Roshni',  a Leadership  Development  programme  for  Minority  Women,  which  was  launched  in  2012-13  with  an objective to empower and instill confidence among minority women by providing knowledge, tools and techniques  for  interacting  with  Government  systems,  banks  and  other  institutions  at  all  levels.  Since inception, about 6,375 beneficiaries have been trained under the scheme in the State of Odisha. The training  module  cover  areas  related  to  programmes  for  Women,  Health  and  Hygiene,  Legal  rights  of women,  Financial  Literacy,  Digital  Literacy,  Swachh  Bharat,  Life  Skills,  and  Advocacy  for  Social  and

Behavioural changes. The scheme was implemented through Programme Implementing Agencies/ NonGovernmental Organizations.

Nai Roshni Scheme has now been converged as a component into an integrated scheme called 'Pradhan  Mantri  Virasat  ka  Samvardhan  (PM  VIKAS)',  which  has   three  sub-components  namely Leadership  and  Basic  Entrepreneurship  Development,  Entrepreneurship  Development  and  Business Mentors/ Business Correspondents (Biz Sakhis/Udyami Mitra).

7. Ministry of Rural Development Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs), funded by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and led by banks, provide skill and entrepreneurship training to rural  youth,  including  women,  to  promote  self-employment  and  reduce  poverty.  The  program  targets unemployed  youth  aged  18-45  with  basic  knowledge  in  relevant  fields,  equipping  them  for  selfemployment or wage employment. While many graduates pursue entrepreneurship, some may also seek for wage employment.

MoRD finances the construction of RSETI buildings and covers training costs for the rural poor. Free skill based residential training programs are being conducted at 605 RSETIs across the country including 30 Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) in the state of Odisha. These RSETIs impart training in 64 MoRD and NCVET approved courses, free of cost, to the rural unemployed youth. Nearly 70 % of the total trainees in RSETIs comprise of rural women. There are nine exclusive women centric training programmes in RSETIs through which women can develop skill and entrepreneurship.

Skill  development  program  through  Rural  Self  Employment  Training  Institutes  (RSETIs)  also enables a trainee to take Bank credit and start his/her own Micro-enterprise. Some of such trainees may also  seek regular  salaried  jobs.  The  details  of  trained  and  settled  candidates  in  Odisha  State  for  last three financial years and current financial year as on 31.12.2024 are provided below:

| Total                     |         |         | Women (Out of Total)   | Women (Out of Total)   |
|---------------------------|---------|---------|------------------------|------------------------|
| FY                        | Trained | Settled | Trained                | Settled                |
| 2021-22 16049             | 13978   |         | 14788                  | 13088                  |
| 20766                     | 17486   |         | 18611                  | 2022-23 16317          |
| 22056                     | 19544   |         | 20046                  | 2023-24 18288          |
| 2024-25 31.12.2024) 21656 | 16211   |         | 19266                  | to 15057               |

The details of trained and settled candidates in Keonjhar District, Odisha State for past three financial year and current financial year as on 31.12.2024 is provided below:

| Total   |         |         | Women (Out of Total)   | Women (Out of Total)       |
|---------|---------|---------|------------------------|----------------------------|
| FY      | Trained | Settled | Trained                | Settled                    |
| 456     | 331     | 358     | 234                    | 2021-22                    |
| 758     | 552     | 672     | 516                    | 2022-23                    |
| 795     | 584     | 717     | 538                    | 2023-24                    |
| 796     | 565     | 740     | 519                    | 2024-25 (up to 31.12.2024) |

8. Ministry of Food Processing Industry (MoFPI) has launched the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan with the aim to enhance the competitiveness of existing individual micro-enterprises in the unorganized segment of the food processing industry and promote formalization of the sector. The scheme has a special focus on supporting Groups engaged in Agri-food processing such as Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Producers Cooperatives along their entire value chain. SHG members can receive seed capital of ₹40,000 per member for working capital and the purchase of small tools. The scheme also provides  a  50%  financial  grant  for  branding  and  marketing  support  to  groups  of  FPOs, SHGs, Cooperatives, or a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of micro food processing enterprises. Under the PMFME Scheme, 301 SHG beneficiaries got benefitted from seed capital in the State of Odisha and the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management, Thanjavur (NIFTEM-T), an  autonomous  institute  under  MoFPI,  provided  hands-on  training  to  34  women  entrepreneurs  from Odisha in various domains.

9.  Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (M/o MSME) - The  Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Programme (ESDP) Scheme of M/o MSME is a Central Sector scheme, which  was up scaled in November 2019. The objective of the programme is to motivate young persons representing different sections of the society including SC/ST women, Persons with Disabilities(PwD), ex-servicemen, and Below Poverty Line persons to consider self-employment or entrepreneurship as one of the career options.  The  ultimate  objective  is  to  promote  new  enterprises,  build  capacity  of  existing  MSMEs  and inculcate  entrepreneurial  culture  in  the  country.  New  ESDP  guideline,  which  was  approved  on 25.3.2022, has five components namely:

- i. Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme (EAP)
- ii. Entrepreneurship cum Skill Development Programme (ESDP)
- iii. Advance ESDP - This component is newly added and is to be conducted by premier Institutes like IITs/IIMs/ ICAR/BARC/Agricultural Universities of State /Central Governments.
- iv. Management Development Programme (MDP)
- v. Advance MDP - It is newly added in the new guidelines approved for the 15 th Finance Commission which includes programme to be conducted by premier institutes like that of Advance ESDP component.

From Financial Years 2022-23 to 2024-25 (till 07.02.2025), a total of 22,273 women beneficiaries have been trained in the State of Odisha, including 574 in Keonjhar district of Odisha.

10. Ministry of Textiles is implementing Samarth (Scheme for Capacity Building in Textiles Sector) with the  objective  to  provide  demand  driven,  placement-oriented  skilling  programmes  to  supplement  the efforts  of  the  industry  in  creating  jobs  in  the  organized  textile  and  related  sectors,  covering  the entire value chain of textiles, excluding Spinning and Weaving in organized sector. Samarth is implemented on demand driven basis across the country and preference is given to marginalized social groups such as women, SC/ ST etc. under the scheme. As on 07.02.2025, 3,59,037 beneficiaries have  been trained (passed) and of these 3,16,275 are women.

11.  Ministry  of  Social  Justice  and  Empowerment  (MoSJ&E) implements  a  Venture  Capital  Fund (VCF) Scheme for Scheduled Caste (VCF-SC) and Backward Classes (VCF-BC). These Schemes have been launched   with the objective of promoting entrepreneurship amongst the said communities through concessional finance. At present a coupon rate of 4% is charged under VCF-SC and 6% under VCF-BC. To promote women entrepreneurs, a further rebate of 0.25% percent is provided. Further, to promote young researchers, including  women, 'Ambedkar Social Innovation Incubation Mission (ASIIM)' under VCF-SC  is  being  implemented  since  30th  September  2020.  These  schemes  are  operational  and applicable throughout the country including the state of Odisha.

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