Lok Sabha Question No. 1927 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-01
Subject: Women Entrepreneurs in Agriculture
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Pradeep Kumar Singh, Parbatbhai Savabhai Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1927

TO BE ANSWERED ON 01 ST  AUGUST, 2023

## WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN AGRICULTURE

1927.  SHRI  PRADEEP KUMAR SINGH: SHRI PARBATBHAI SAVABHAI PATEL:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a) the measures being taken by the Government to inspire women entrepreneurs from all over the country particularly from the States of Bihar and Gujarat to move in the direction of sustainable agriculture practices; and
- (b) the manner in which digital media is being used to create awareness to upgrade and promote enterprises of women and women entrepreneurs associated with agriculture sector?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्री SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR

- (a) Ministry  of  Rural  Development  (MoRD)  through  its  flagship  scheme  Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) is working with women Self  Help  Group  (SHG)  members  across  the  country.  The  mission  has  taken  up  several measures to encourage women to take up agricultural enterprises for enhancing their income across  the  country  including  the  states  of  Bihar  and  Gujarat.  The  large  size  producer enterprises and producer groups are being promoted to provide encouragement to women entrepreneurs  for  value  addition  of  agriculture  commodities.  Non-Pesticide  Management shops are promoted under the mission to provide timely supply of quality botanical extracts for promotion of sustainable agro-ecological practices.

The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers  Welfare  is  implementing  'Innovation  and  Agri-Entrepreneurship  Development'

programme under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) from 2018-19 with an objective to promote  innovation  and  agripreneurship  by  providing  financial  support  and  nurturing  the incubation  ecosystem  in  the  country  including  the  States  of  Bihar  and  Gujarat.  The Ministry has appointed five Knowledge Partners (KPs) as Centres of Excellence and twenty four  RKVY-RAFTAAR  Agribusiness  Incubators  (R-ABIs)  from  across  the  country  for implementation of this programme. Potential women startups/entrepreneurs can avail benefit from the programme.

(b):  Ministry  of  Electronics  &  Information  Technology  (MeitY)  has  initiated  measures  for encouraging the technology led startup-innovation ecosystem in the country including Agritech  and  encourage  entrepreneur  in  the  startup  ecosystem.  The  initiatives  are  for  the promotion of startups and entrepreneurs irrespective of gender and applicable for women entrepreneurs  too.  The  initiatives  include  Technology  Incubation  and  Development  of Entrepreneurs (TIDE 2.0) Scheme, MeitY Startup Hub (MSH), Domain specific Centres of Excellence, Gen-Next  Support for Innovative Startups (GENESIS)  and  Support  for International Patent Protection in E&IT (SIP-EIT) Scheme.

DAY NRLM is also utilizing the digital media for mobilizing and training women. Audio and videos are being used to impart training to the women entrepreneurs and community resource persons in agriculture sector; and the webinars of various sub-sectors and activities are organized to increase reach of the programme under the Mission.  The Central Institute for  Women  in  Agriculture  (CIWA),  Bhubaneswar  under  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi has  developed  a Gender Knowledge System in Agriculture (GKS)  Portal  (https://www.icar-ciwa.org.in/gks/)  based  on  gender  disaggregated  data, technologies and methodologies which help the stakeholders at national and international level.

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