Lok Sabha Question No. 1965 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-02
Subject: Self Employment for Women
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Patel Umeshbhai Babubhai

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1965

TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.08.2024

## SELF EMPLOYMENT FOR WOMEN

## 1965.     SHRI PATEL UMESHBHAI BABUBHAI:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has launched/ formulated a roadmap to launch a scheme to provide self-employment to the women of Daman and Diu;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government proposes to launch any special scheme for the upliftment of girls of Daman and Diu;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (e) whether the Government proposes to constitute the post of State and District Women Commission in the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI ANNPURNA DEVI)

(a) to (d): The details of the schemes implemented by the Central Government for promoting self-employment to the women across the country including the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu are as follows:

The Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) implements various schemes that address the need for credit, technology, market development, capacity building etc. of the MSMEs. Women entrepreneurs are encouraged to avail the benefits of these schemes through various fora. A few of the schemes having greater focus on women are detailed below:

Samarth Initiative: In March 2022, the Ministry announced 'Samarth Initiative' under which, every year, the following will be aimed:

- i. 20%  seats  in  free  Skill  Development  Programs  organized  under  various  skill development schemes of the Ministry allocated for women.
- ii. 20% of business delegations sent to domestic and international exhibitions under the schemes for Marketing Assistance implemented by the Ministry is dedicated to womenowned MSMEs;
- iii. Ministry  provides  20%  discount  on  annual  processing  fee  on  NSIC's  commercial schemes;
- iv. Special Drive for registration of women-owned MSMEs under Udyam Registration. The Ministry has successfully achieved the targets in FY 22-23 and FY 23-24.

Public  Procurement  Policy: The  Government  of  India,  through  the  Public  Procurement Policy, has mandated that all Central Ministries/ Departments/Public Sector Enterprises will procure  at  least  3%  of  their  annual  procurement  from  women-owned  Micro  and  Small Enterprises. The current procurement from women owned MSEs stands at 1.26 percent (from nearly 15,000 women entrepreneurs).

Prime  Minister's  Employment  Generation  Programme: This  flagship  programme  is  a credit-linked subsidy programme for aspiring micro entrepreneurs to start their own enterprises in rural and urban areas. Women applicants are provided a higher subsidy than the general applicants. General category beneficiaries can avail of margin money subsidy of 25 % of the project  cost  in  rural  areas  and  15%  in  urban  areas.  For  beneficiaries  belonging  to  special categories such as scheduled caste/scheduled tribe / women the margin money subsidy is 35% in rural areas and 25% in urban areas. Aspiring women entrepreneurs have been increasingly benefiting from this programme. During the last eight years more than 1.83 lakh women availed assistance under this scheme and turned micro entrepreneurs.

Credit Guarantee Scheme for Micro and Small Enterprises: The Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGMSE) was launched by the Government of India to make available collateral-free credit to the micro and small enterprises for loans up to a limit of Rs. 500 lakh (w.e.f. 01.04.2023) to MSEs with a guarantee coverage up to 85% for loans to women, as against the normal rate of 75%. Both the existing and the new enterprises are eligible to be covered under the scheme.

ZED Certification: Under MSME Sustainable (ZED) Certification Scheme of Ministry of MSME, all Women owned manufacturing MSMEs registered in Udyam Portal are eligible for 100% (free) subsidy on cost of ZED certification w.e.f. 11th November, 2023.

Mahila Coir Yojana (MCY): Mahila  Coir  Yojana  is  a  sub-component  of  the  Coir  Vikas Yojana. MCY is a 100% women oriented and intensive two-month training programme which aims to provide training to rural women engaged in the coir sector, on sophisticated machinery/ advanced  technology  in  order  to  upscale  their  living  standards  and  thereby  attain  selfsustainable  employment.  Under  this  programme,  the  women  beneficiaries  are  given  skill training  in  coir  spinning.  They  are  provided  stipend  during  the  training.  The  trainees  are encouraged to apply for a loan under the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) thereafter, for starting their own micro coir enterprises. During the last five years, more than 11,000 women artisans engaged in the coir industry were trained.

Capacity building through training programmes in the areas of entrepreneurship development, management development, market development, skill development, etc are provided through the Entrepreneurship and Skill Development programmes. During the last three years, around 3  lakh  women  were  provided  trainings  through  Khadi  and  Village  Industries  Commission (KVIC)  training  centres,  Tool  Rooms,  Technology/  Extension  centres  situated  across  the country.

Under  the  SFURTI  scheme,  80  clusters  with  women  majority  (i.e.  with  over  50% representation) have been approved since July 2019.

All the schemes implemented by the Ministry, like the Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme, Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI), Lean Manufacturing Competitiveness Scheme, Zero Defect and Zero Effect (ZED), Credit Linked Capital Subsidy Scheme for Technology Upgradation, MSE-Cluster Development etc. also provide financial and technical support to MSMEs, including women-owned MSMEs. Details of these schemes are available at https://www.msme.gov.in.

One of the most successful schemes of the Central Government is Deendayal Antyodaya Yojna -  National  Rural  Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), under which approximately 90 lakhs women self-help groups having nearly 10 crore members are changing the rural landscape for employment/ self-employment.  Similarly, National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) is for  urban  areas.  Besides,  there  are  schemes  like  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Mudra  Yojana (PMMY),Stand-up India, Start-up India, Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), for providing employment/ self-employment and credit facilities. Majority of the beneficiaries under these schemes are women. The Central Government also provides skill and  vocational  training  to  the  women  under  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Kaushal  Vikas  Yojna (PMKVY).  Similarly,  the  Government  implements  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Gramin  Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) to provide digital literacy to rural populations. These two schemes  have  also  helped  women  and  girls  gaining  necessary  skills  required  for  jobs  and entrepreneurship.

(e) & (f): The constitution of State Women Commissions falls under the purview of respective State Government/ UT Administration.

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