Lok Sabha Question No. 194 (STARRED), answered on 2024-12-09
Subject: Challenges Faced by Women in Entrepreneurship
Ministry: SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Asked by: Smt. Bijuli Kalita Medhi, Shri Dineshbhai Makwana

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 194

ANSWERED ON 09/12/2024

## CHALLENGES FACED BY WOMEN IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

- *194.   SHRI DINESHBHAI MAKWANA:

SMT. BIJULI KALITA MEDHI:

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

- (a)         whether  the  Government  has  taken  note  of  the  importance  of  offering  crucial  skills, knowledge  and  networking  opportunities  in  addressing  the  challenges  faced  by  women  in entrepreneurship;
- (b)        if so, the details thereof;
- (c)         the details of the schemes launched by the Government for the empowerment of women entrepreneurs along with the total number of women targetted to be empowered under the scheme in the country including Jharkhand State; and
- (d)         the  efforts  taken  by  the  Government  to  collaborate  with  Private  and  Public  Sector  to empower women entrepreneurs?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

- (a) to (d)   A Statement is laid on the table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (D) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *194 ANSWERED ON 09.12.2024 REGARDING 'CHALLENGES FACED BY WOMEN IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP'

(a) & (b) 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 up various initiatives to address the challenges faced by women  in  entrepreneurship  through  training,  advocacy  and  easy  access  to  entrepreneurship network. These initiatives include interventions to build entrepreneurial mindsets and capabilities among  women,  support  the  growth  of  women-led  enterprises,  and  provide  mentoring  and handholding support for women entrepreneurship development.

The  Ministry  of  Skill  Development  and  Entrepreneurship  (MSDE)  has  taken  various initiatives  to  promote  entrepreneurship  development  amongst  women,  through  its  autonomous organizations,  namely,  National  Institute  for  Entrepreneurship  and  Small  Business  Development (NIESBUD) and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE).

(c) The  details  of  the  major  initiatives  undertaken  by  this  Ministry  for  the  promotion  of entrepreneurship among women across the country including the State of Jharkhand is placed at Annexure-I. In  addition  to  these,  various  Ministries/  Departments  of  Government  of  India  have also taken several initiatives to promote women entrepreneurship in the country including the State of Jharkhand. The details of some of the key initiatives are placed at Annexure-II .

(d) MSDE has collaborated with private and public sector to empower women entrepreneurship through  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  by  Meta  platforms  like  Facebook,  WhatsApp  and Instagram in seven regional languages.

NIESBUD, in collaboration with Hindustan Unilever Limited, is organizing 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  Hindustan  Unilever  Limited  under  its  Corporate  Social  Responsibility  (CSR) initiative.  The  project  aims  to  encourage  self-employment  and  foster  entrepreneurship  across India.

IIE has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur and Gauhati University for establishment of Livelihood Business Incubation Centers under the 'A Scheme for Promotion of Innovation, Rural Industry & Entrepreneurship (ASPIRE)' scheme sponsored  by  Ministry  of  MSME.  Further,  IIE  has  also  signed  an  MoU  with  Indian  Institute  of Technology,  Guwahati  to  strengthen  the  skilling  ecosystem  and  entrepreneurship  development, including women entrepreneurship in the North East Region.

## ANNEXURES REFERRED  TO  LOK  SABHA  STARRED  QUESTION  NO.  194  REGARDING 'CHALLENGES  FACED  BY  WOMEN  IN  ENTREPRENEURSHIP' TO  BE  ANSWERED  ON 09.12.2024

1. Strengthening Entrepreneurial Climate through Capacity Building, Incubation Support,  Mentoring,  and  Handholding  under  SANKALP  SchemeMSDE though NIESBUD and IIE  is  implementing  a  project  for  strengthening  the  entrepreneurship  ecosystem  of  different marginalized  sections  of  the  society  and  women  with  the  support  of  the  Skills  Acquisition  and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion  (SANKALP) Programme  of MSDE. The  project aims at creating, fostering and promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship among the various target groups through Capacity Building, Incubation Support, Mentoring and Handholding. The Institutes have  imparted  training  to  62101  individuals  under  the  project  from  FY  2022-23  to  FY  2024-25, including 45262 women. In the state of Jharkhand, 4,617 individuals have been trained, of which 3,349 are women.
2.          Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PMJANMAN) Project MSDE through its autonomous institute -NIESBUD  and  IIE is implementing the skilling and entrepreneurship  component  of  Pradhan  Mantri  Janjati  Adivasi  Nyaya  Maha  Abhiyaan  (PMJANMAN) - a scheme of Ministry of Tribal Affairs for upliftment of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). 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.  Training has been imparted to a total of 38396 trainees under the project  since  its  inception  in  November  2023,  of  which  32591  are  women.  In  the  state  of Jharkhand, 2,671 trainees have been trained under the project, of which 2,474 are women.
3.         Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) Project Under the Skill Strengthening  for  Industrial  Value  Enhancement  (STRIVE)  project  of  MSDE,  NIESBUD  and  IIE have  conducted  awareness  and  sensitization  programmes  at  National  Skill  Training  Institutes (NSTIs) and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). These activities were followed by the selection of prospective entrepreneurs to undergo the Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP). The Institutes  have  successfully  conducted  EDP  training  for  the  target  groups  and  is  providing mentoring and handholding support to help trainees establish their enterprises. The Institute has imparted training to a total of 101934 trainees under the project in the FY 2023-24 to FY 2024-25, of which 29343 are women. In the state of Jharkhand, 4,623 trainees have been trained under the project, of which 512 are women.
4.   Rashtriya  Udyamita  Vikas  Pariyojana  on  Pilot  Basis  for  PM  Svanidhi  Beneficiaries  NIESBUD and IIE have implemented Rashtriya Udyamita VikasPariyojana on Pilot Basis for PM Svanidhi  Beneficiaries  with  support  of  MSDE.  The  project  includes  one  week  of  classroom program  and  21  weeks  of  mentoring  and  hand-holding  support.  The  Institutes  have  provided training to a total of 1744 trainees under the project in FY 2023 - 24, including 1205 women.
5.          Establish,  Develop  and  Manage  EDC  and  Incubation  Centers  (IC)  in  North  East Region's  Educational  Institutions -  Under  this  Project,  IIE  is  establishing,  developing  and managing Entrepreneurship Development Centres (EDCs) and Incubation Centers (ICs) in North East  Region's  Educational  Institutions.  The  key  features  of  the  Project  include  establishing, developing and managing 30 EDCs and four ICs in eight states of NER, identifying and training 600 mentors from 30 target districts, identifying and training 3600 youth from 30 target districts, incubating  100  business  ideas  in  four  ICs,  supporting  900  business  ideas  in  30  EDCs  through convergence and Seed fund for top 50 incubates in four ICs. IIE has imparted training to a total of 1909 trainees under the project since F.Y. 2023-24, out of which 1889 are women.

1. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under Ministry of Commerce and Industry The Government with intent to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation  and  encouraging  investments  launched  the  Startup  India  initiative  on  16th  January 2016.  As on 31st October 2024, a total of 1,52,139 entities have been recognised as startups, of which, 73,151 startups have at least one-woman director. In the State of Jharkhand, during 20192023, 490 entities have been recognised as startups having at least one-woman director.

The  details  of  some  other  programs  undertaken  by  the  Government  to  promote  women entrepreneurship 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. 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.
- iii. A Virtual Incubation Program for Women Entrepreneurs was conducted in collaboration with Zone Startups to support women-led tech startups with pro-bono acceleration support.
- iv. 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.
- v. ASCEND Startup Workshop Series and Women for Startups Workshops: The Government organized  a  series  of  startup  workshops  -  ASCEND  (Accelerating  Startup  Calibre  and Entrepreneurial  Drive),  for  the  entrepreneurs,  aspiring  entrepreneurs,  and  students  from North-Eastern Region. In addition, the workshops are conducted with a specific focus on women entrepreneurs across the North-Eastern states.
- vi. Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP): The Government launched WEP in 2018 as an aggregator  platform  with  the  aim  to  overcome  information  asymmetry  in  the  women entrepreneurial  ecosystem.  By  showcasing  all  existing  initiatives  and  providing  domain knowledge it works towards empowering both prospective and present women entrepreneurs.
- vii. 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.
- viii. 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.
- ix. To  identify  the  depth,  quality  and  spread  of  innovation,  inclusivity  and  diversity,  and entrepreneurship  in  the  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.
2. Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) -  Ministry of MSME, through Khadi and Village Industries  Commission (KVIC), is  implementing  Prime  Minister's  Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) for assisting entrepreneurs in setting up of new enterprises in the non-farm sector. It aims to provide employment opportunities to traditional artisans/ rural and urban unemployed youth at their doorstep.

PMEGP being a Central Sector Scheme assists General Category beneficiaries with Margin Money  (MM)  subsidy  of  25%  of  the  project  cost  in  rural  areas  and  15%  in  urban  areas.  For beneficiaries  belonging  to  Special  Categories  such  as  Scheduled  Castes,  Scheduled  Tribes, OBCs, Minorities, Women, Ex-servicemen, Physically Handicapped, Transgenders, beneficiaries belonging  to  Northeastern  Region,  Hill  and  Border  areas,  and  Aspirational  Districts,  the  Margin Money subsidy is 35% in rural areas and 25% in urban areas. The maximum cost of project is Rs. 50 lakhs in the manufacturing sector and Rs. 20 lakhs in the service sector.

Also, own contribution of beneficiaries under Special Category including women is 5% and 10% for General Category beneficiaries. Since 2018-19, existing PMEGP /MUDRA enterprises are also  supported  based  on  past  good  performances  with  second  loan  for  upgradation  and expansion. Under second Loan, maximum project cost admissible for Margin Money (MM) subsidy under  Manufacturing  sector  is  Rs.  1.00  crore  and  for  Service  sector  is  Rs.  25  Lakhs.  Eligible subsidy on 2nd loan for all categories is 15% of project cost (20% for NER & Hill States).

Under PMEGP, there is no specific target set for women entrepreneurs. However, women are  considered  under  special  categories  under  the  scheme  and  are  eligible  for  higher  Margin Money subsidy and lower personal contribution.

3.         Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) - MoRD is implementing two welfare schemes in the  field  of  skill  development  for  rural  poor  youth  for  their  gainful  employment  with  a  view  to eradicate  poverty  in  the  country  under  the  umbrella  scheme  of  Deendayal  Antyodaya  Yojana  National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). A brief on the Scheme is as under:

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY): DDU-GKY is a placement linked  skill  development  program  for  rural  poor  youth  in  the  age  group  of  15-35  years,  thus providing them wage employment. DDU-GKY guidelines provide for earmarking 50% of the funds for  SCs  and  STs  and  15%  for  minorities.  Further,  one  third  beneficiaries  of  the  respective categories including general category covered under the scheme should be women.

Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs): RSETI is a Bank lead- MoRD funded training institution established by the Sponsor Banks in their Districts, to provide training for Skill and Entrepreneurship. MoRD extends financial support for the construction of RSETI building and also bears the cost of training the rural poor candidates. Any unemployed youth in the age group of  18-45  years  can  undergo  training  at  RSETI.  Some  of  the  trained  candidates  may  also  seek regular salaried jobs/ wage employment. Under RSETI scheme, women entrepreneurs are being taught various entrepreneurial skills for setting up their ventures/ activities which will make them confident to start the venture. They can select the activity of their choice and undergo training and attain skill in that field and start the venture. The women get hand holding support for two years and are also provided assistance in settlement and getting credit facilities from the banks. Under RSETI from 2014-15 to 2024-25 (till 31.10.2024), 29,98,889 number of women candidates have been trained out of which 1,43,308 are in the State of Jharkhand.

4. Department  of  Financial  Service  (DFS) -  Pradhan  Mantri  Mudra  Yojana  (PMMY)  was launched  on  08.04.2015  to  extend  collateral  free  credit  up  to  Rs  20  lakh  by  Member  Lending Institutions (MLIs), i.e., Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs), Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs). Any individual, who is otherwise eligible to take a loan and has a business plan for small business enterprise can avail loan under the Scheme for income generating activities in the manufacturing, trading, service sectors including activities allied to  agriculture  across  four  loan  categories,  viz.  Shishu  (loans  upto  Rs.  50,000/-),  Kishor  (loans above Rs. 50,000/- and upto Rs. 5 lakh),Tarun (loans above Rs. 5 lakh and upto Rs. 10 lakh) and Tarun  Plus  (loans  above  Rs.  10  lakh  and  upto  Rs.  20  lakh  for  those  entrepreneurs  who  have availed and successfully repaid previous loans under the 'Tarun' category w.e.f. 24.10.2024). As on 01.11.2024, a total of 50.31 crore loans amounting to Rs.31.28 lakh crore has been extended under PMMY, since inception of the Scheme out of which a total of 34.01crore (68%) loans have been sanctioned to Women Entrepreneurs.

Stand-Up India (SUI) Scheme launched on 05.04.2016 has been extended upto the year 2025. The objective of the Scheme is to facilitate loans from Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) of value between Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 1 crore to at least one Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) borrower and one Women borrower per bank branch for setting up greenfield enterprise in manufacturing, services or trading sector including activities allied to agriculture.The Stand Up India scheme has facilitated over 2.51 lakh loans to SC/ST and Women entrepreneurs across the country and a total of 2.10 lakh (84%) loans have been sanctioned to Women Entrepreneurs since inception of the Scheme as on 31.10.2024.

5. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) - The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana National  Urban  Livelihoods  Mission  (DAY-NULM)  has  the  objective  of  reducing  poverty  and vulnerability of  urban poor households by enabling them to access gainful self-employment and skilled  wage  employment  opportunities,  in  order  to  improve  their  livelihoods  on  a  sustainable basis, through building strong grassroots level institutions of the urban poor including women.

Employment through Skills Training and Placement (EST&P): This component intends to provide training to the urban poor as per the skill demand from the market, so that they can set up self-employment ventures or secure salaried employment.  Skill training will be linked to accreditation and certification and preferably be undertaken on a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode.

Self-Employment Programme (SEP): This component will focus on financial assistance to individuals/groups of urban poor for setting up gainful self-employment ventures/micro-enterprises, suited to their skills, training,  aptitude and local conditions.

The percentage of women beneficiaries under EST&P and SEP shall not be less than 30 percent.  Interest  Subsidy  over  and  above  7  percent  rate  of  Private  interest  will  applicable  to  all SHGs accessing  bank  loan.  An  additional  3  percent  interest  subvention  will  be  provided  to  all women SHGs who repay their loan in time in all the cities.

Under Day-NULM (since inception till 20.11.2024), 8,93,773 number of Self Help Groups (SHGs)  women  members  were  disbursed  loans  under  the  bank  linked  programme  across  the Country out of which 17,549 are in State of Jharkhand.

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