Lok Sabha Question No. 1179 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-28
Subject: Swavalambini Women Entrepreneurship Programme
Ministry: SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Asked by: Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab, Shri Bidyut Baran Mahato, Dr. Hemang Joshi, Shri Godam Nagesh, Shri Bhojraj Nag, Shri Madhavaneni Raghunandan Rao, Smt. Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Shri Manoj Tiwari, Dr. Hemant Vishnu Savara, Smt. Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, Shri Bibhu Prasad Tarai, Smt. Shobhanaben Mahendrasinh Baraiya, Smt. Kamlesh Jangde, Shri Radheshyam Rathiya, Smt. Himadri Singh, Shri Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, Shri Yaduveer Wadiyar, Shri Yogender Chandolia, Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar, Shri Dilip Saikia, Ms Kangna Ranaut, Shri P P Chaudhary, Shri Khagen Murmu, Smt. Smita Uday Wagh, Shri Vishnu Dayal Ram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1179

ANSWERED ON 28/07/2025

## SWAVALAMBINI WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMME

†1179.

SHRI BHOJRAJ NAG: SMT. HIMADRI SINGH: SHRI P P CHAUDHARY: SMT. MALA RAJYA LAXMI SHAH: SHRI RADHESHYAM RATHIYA: SHRI DILIP SAIKIA: SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM: SMT. MAHIMA KUMARI MEWAR: SHRI YOGENDER CHANDOLIA: SMT. KAMALJEET SEHRAWAT: SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO: SHRI YADUVEER WADIYAR: SHRI VISHWESHWAR HEGDE KAGERI: SMT. SMITA UDAY WAGH: SHRI BIBHU PRASAD TARAI: SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB: DR. HEMANG JOSHI: SHRI GODAM NAGESH: MS KANGNA RANAUT: SMT. KAMLESH JANGDE: SHRI MANOJ TIWARI: DR. HEMANT VISHNU SAVARA: SHRI MADHAVANENI RAGHUNANDAN RAO: SMT. SHOBHANABEN MAHENDRASINH BARAIYA: SHRI KHAGEN MURMU:

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

(a) the number of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and students targeted under the Swavalambini Women Entrepreneurship Programme in the country, State/UT-wise, including Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh particularly in Mandi and Maharashtra, particularly in tribal dominated areas like Palghar district and Jalgaon Lok Sabha Constituency;

(b) the manner in which this Faculty Development Programme (FDP) is expected to contribute to the long-term sustainability of women entrepreneurship mentoring in HEIs and plan/roadmap to expand this programme to more regions,  institutions  aspirational districts, rural belts and urban/underserved areas in future;

(c) the  details  regarding  the  provisions  for  private  sector  participation,  Corporate Social  Responsibility  (CSR)  partnership  collaboration  with  industries,  Internship  and vocational modules under the said programme;

- (d) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  include  HEIs  located  in  North  East  Delhi under this programme on priority basis, given the need to promote women entrepreneurship, skilling and innovation in the region and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) the details of the steps taken by the Government to ensure the participation of all States/UTs in this scheme along with the ratio of financial contribution shared between the Centre and States/UTs; and
- (f) whether this scheme is helping to bridge the regional disparities and improving the Gross Enrolment Ratio and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a)  to  (f)      The  Ministry  of  Skill  Development  and  Entrepreneurship  (MSDE)  in collaboration  with  the  Women  Entrepreneurship  Platform  of  NITI  Aayog  as  knowledge partner,  launched  the  Swavalambini  -  a  Women  Entrepreneurship  Programme  in February,  2025  in  six  Higher  Education  Institutions  (HEIs)/Universities  of  Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana as a pilot  project.  The  Ministry  is implementing  the  programme  through  its  Autonomous  Institutes,  namely,  National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), Noida and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati.

The Swavalambini project introduces a structured, multi-stage training approach to help young women transition from ideation to successful enterprise creation. The Project aims to  cultivate  an  entrepreneurial  mindset  among  female  students,  equipping  them  with awareness  of available support mechanisms,  schemes, resources and networks essential for pursuing entrepreneurship as a career.

The  target  group  for  the  Swavalambini  Project  includes  1200  female  students  from Higher  Educational  Institutes  (HEIs)  and  Universities  who  will  undergo  introductory programme on entrepreneurial awareness through Entrepreneurship Awareness  Programme  (EAP). Out of these, 600 students selected from  EAP participants will undergo the Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) offering intensive entrepreneurship development training covering crucial business aspects such as skilling, access to finance, market linkages, compliance and legal support, business services and networking opportunities. This will be followed by 21 weeks of mentorship and  handholding  support  to  help  participants  translate  their  ideas  into  sustainable enterprises.

MSDE will oversee the execution, supervision, and monitoring of the programme, while NITI Aayog will organize workshops, provide mentoring support, facilitate seed funding, and recognize successful entrepreneurs through the Award To Reward (ATR) initiative.

During the  mentoring and  handholding  support, industry leaders and  successful entrepreneurs will guide the participants by providing mentorship and hands-on support. Successful  entrepreneurs  will  be  invited  to  share  their  experiences,  highlighting  the challenges they overcame and the strategies they used to establish their businesses.

To  ensure  long-term  impact,  the  programme  also  includes  a  Faculty  Development Programme  (FDP),  where  faculty  members  from  participating  HEIs/Universities  shall undergo a five-day training session. This initiative will equip educators with the necessary skills to mentor and guide aspiring women entrepreneurs within their institutions.

The programme-wise details of participants trained under the pilot project is as under:

| Name of the Programme                        |   Total Target |   Total Trained |
|----------------------------------------------|----------------|-----------------|
| Faculty Development Programme (FDP)          |             75 |              43 |
| Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme (EAP)   |           1200 |             996 |
| Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) |            600 |             139 |

The  State-wise  and  programme-wise  details  of  number  of  participants  trained  as  on 15.07.2025 under the pilot project is as under:

| State         | Name of the Programme (Total trained)   | Name of the Programme (Total trained)   | Name of the Programme (Total trained)   |
|---------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|
|               | FDP                                     | EAP                                     | EDP                                     |
| Assam         | 9                                       | -*                                      | -*                                      |
| Meghalaya     | 8                                       | 161                                     | -*                                      |
| Mizoram       | 10                                      | 244                                     | -*                                      |
| Uttar Pradesh | 13                                      | 441                                     | 139                                     |
| Telangana     | 3                                       | 150                                     | -*                                      |
| Total         | 43                                      | 996                                     | 139                                     |

*FDP,EAP and EDP are scheduled to commence from August,2025.

Based on the outcomes of the pilot Swavalambini programme, the Ministry will assess the  feasibility  of  scaling  up  the  Swavalambini  Programme  to  a  wider  network  of  HEIs across more States/UTs with the objective of embedding entrepreneurial knowledge in higher  education,  thereby,  empowering  young  women  to  become  job  creators  and contribute meaningfully to India's innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

*****