Lok Sabha Question No. 2407 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-18
Subject: Women Involved in Startup
Ministry: CORPORATE AFFAIRS
Asked by: Sarmistha Sethi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS

LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO. 2407 ANSWERED ON MONDAY, 18 th  DECEMBER 2023 Agrahayana 27, 1945 (Saka)

## WOMEN INVOLVED IN STARTUP

QUESTION

2407.    SHRIMATI SARMISTHA SETHI:

Will the Minister of CORPORATE AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

कारपोरेट कार्य मंत्री

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  maintained  data  on  participation  of women involved in tech startups;
- (b)    if  so,  the  details  thereof,  State-wise  and  district-wise  for  Odisha during the last five years;
- (c) whether the Government has taken any steps to promote and support women's participation in startups including the allocation of funds; and
- (d)    if  so,  the  details  thereof,  State-wise  and  district-wise  for  Odisha during the last five years?

## ANSWER

Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the  Ministry  of  Planning  and  Minister  of  State  in  the  Ministry  of Corporate Affairs.

सांख्यिकी और कार्यक्रम कार्ायन्वर्न मंत्रालर् क े राज्य मंत्री ( स्वतंत्र प्रभार ) ; र्ोजना मंत्रालर् क े राज्य मंत्री ( स्वतंत्र प्रभार ) और कॉपोरेट मामलों क े मंत्रालर् में राज्य मंत्री।

(Rao Inderjit Singh) ( राव इंद्रजीत स ंह )

(a) to (d) : Information about Startups is not maintained by this Ministry. The information provided by DPIIT regarding startup entities is as under: Entities are recognized as 'startups' under Startup India initiative by the DPIIT.  According  to  eligibility  conditions  prescribed  under  G.S.R. Notification 127 (E) dated 19th February 2019, as on 31st October 2023, a total of 1,14,902 entities have been recognised as startups, of which, 54,569 startups have at least one-woman director. Specifically, for the State of Odisha, there are a total of 2,045 DPIIT recognised startups, out of which 1,020 startups have at least one-woman director. Sector-wise  number  of  DPIIT  recognised  startups  with  at  least  onewoman director as on 31st October 2023 is placed as Annexure-I. State/Union  Territory  (UT)-wise  number  of  DPIIT  recognised  startups with at least one-woman director during the last five years viz. 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 is placed as Annexure-II. District-wise  number  of  DPIIT  recognised  startups  for  the  State  of Odisha with at least one-woman director during the last five years viz. 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 is placed as Annexure-III. The  Government  is  implementing  various  schemes/programmes  to promote women entrepreneurship. The details of the same along with major achievements are placed as Annexure-IV.

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Annexure - I referred to in reply of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2407 to be answered on 18.12.2023.

Sector-wise  number  of  DPIIT  recognised  startups  with  at  least  onewoman director as on 31 st  October 2023 are as under:

| Sectors                            |       |
|------------------------------------|-------|
| IT Services                        | 6,300 |
| Healthcare & Lifesciences          | 5,654 |
| Education                          | 3,545 |
| Food & Beverages                   | 3,075 |
| Agriculture                        | 2,936 |
| Professional & Commercial Services | 2,881 |
| Construction                       | 2,414 |
| Technology Hardware                | 1,648 |
| Finance Technology                 | 1,552 |
| Renewable Energy                   | 1,376 |
| Human Resources                    | 1,329 |
| Retail                             | 1,223 |
| Others                             | 1,196 |
| Green Technology                   | 1,177 |
| Marketing                          | 1,088 |
| Automotive                         | 1,071 |
| Textiles & Apparel                 | 1,015 |
| Fashion                            | 1,003 |
| AI                                 | 864   |
| Enterprise Software                | 864   |
| Travel & Tourism                   | 812   |
| Media & Entertainment              | 805   |
| Non- Renewable Energy              | 799   |
| Transportation & Storage           | 717   |
| Internet of Things                 | 698   |
| Security Solutions                 | 575   |
| Chemicals                          | 566   |

| Sectors                             |        |
|-------------------------------------|--------|
| Telecommunication & Networking      | 523    |
| Aeronautics Aerospace & Defence     | 497    |
| Real Estate                         | 460    |
| Waste Management                    | 421    |
| House-Hold Services                 | 407    |
| Social Impact                       | 402    |
| Other Specialty Retailers           | 400    |
| Analytics                           | 363    |
| Advertising                         | 357    |
| Architecture Interior Design        | 355    |
| Design                              | 352    |
| Social Network                      | 298    |
| Logistics                           | 264    |
| Sports                              | 243    |
| Art & Photography                   | 228    |
| Robotics                            | 225    |
| Events                              | 217    |
| AR VR (Augmented + Virtual Reality) | 211    |
| Biotechnology                       | 198    |
| Safety                              | 181    |
| Pets & Animals                      | 176    |
| Toys and Games                      | 163    |
| Indic Language Startups             | 145    |
| Computer Vision                     | 109    |
| Nanotechnology                      | 84     |
| Animation                           | 56     |
| Dating Matrimonial                  | 33     |
| Airport Operations                  | 12     |
| Passenger Experience                | 5      |
| Not Specified                       | 1      |
| Grand Total                         | 54,569 |

Annexure - II referred to in reply of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2407 to be answered on 18.12.2023.

State/Union  Territory  (UT)-wise  number  of  DPIIT  recognised  startups with at least one-woman director during the last five years viz. 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 are as under:-

| States/UTs                               |   2018 |   2019 | 2020   | 2021   | 2022   |
|------------------------------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands              |      1 |      4 | 2      | 5      | 4      |
| Andhra Pradesh                           |     73 |     81 | 95     | 131    | 173    |
| Arunachal Pradesh                        |      0 |      0 | 0      | 3      | 5      |
| Assam                                    |     24 |     26 | 45     | 76     | 121    |
| Bihar                                    |     46 |     51 | 99     | 177    | 254    |
| Chandigarh                               |      7 |     19 | 26     | 34     | 36     |
| Chhattisgarh                             |     49 |     59 | 51     | 78     | 89     |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu |      0 |      1 | 3      | 4      | 7      |
| Delhi                                    |    501 |    604 | 792    | 1,147  | 1,269  |
| Goa                                      |     22 |     20 | 25     | 39     | 48     |
| Gujarat                                  |    199 |    272 | 348    | 766    | 933    |
| Haryana                                  |    207 |    322 | 351    | 515    | 672    |
| Himachal Pradesh                         |      5 |     12 | 12     | 23     | 55     |
| Jammu and Kashmir                        |     11 |     11 | 21     | 38     | 70     |
| Jharkhand                                |     25 |     33 | 81     | 83     | 107    |
| Karnataka                                |    465 |    728 | 703    | 1,031  | 1,231  |
| Kerala                                   |     94 |    241 | 236    | 388    | 427    |
| Ladakh                                   |      0 |      0 | 1      | 0      | 0      |
| Lakshadweep                              |      0 |      0 | 1      | 0      | 0      |
| Madhya Pradesh                           |    111 |    131 | 162    | 253    | 417    |
| Maharashtra                              |    745 |    987 | 1,214  | 1,852  | 2,383  |
| Manipur                                  |      1 |      1 | 4      | 19     | 13     |
| Meghalaya                                |      1 |      4 | 0      | 3      | 5      |
| Mizoram                                  |      0 |      0 | 1      | 1      | 3      |
| Nagaland                                 |      1 |      1 | 3      | 4      | 3      |
| Odisha                                   |     71 |     83 | 116    | 183    | 227    |
| Puducherry                               |      4 |      6 | 3      | 7      | 11     |

| Punjab        | 30    | 47    | 66    | 124   | 147    |
|---------------|-------|-------|-------|-------|--------|
| Rajasthan     | 97    | 175   | 189   | 289   | 455    |
| Sikkim        | 0     | 0     | 1     | 0     | 2      |
| Tamil Nadu    | 189   | 277   | 345   | 568   | 908    |
| Telangana     | 200   | 275   | 362   | 484   | 717    |
| Tripura       | 0     | 4     | 6     | 4     | 13     |
| Uttar Pradesh | 315   | 394   | 610   | 1,014 | 1,293  |
| Uttarakhand   | 25    | 53    | 52    | 75    | 121    |
| West Bengal   | 124   | 134   | 182   | 337   | 518    |
| Grand Total   | 3,643 | 5,056 | 6,208 | 9,755 | 12,737 |

Annexure - III referred to in reply of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2407 to be answered on 18.12.2023.

Details of the district-wise number of one-woman director startups for the State of Odisha during the last five years are as under:-

| Odisha         |   2018 |   2019 |   2020 |   2021 |   2022 |
|----------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| Anugul         |      0 |      0 |      1 |      4 |      7 |
| Balangir       |      0 |      0 |      1 |      2 |      1 |
| Baleshwar      |      2 |      1 |      5 |     11 |      7 |
| Bargarh        |      0 |      2 |      1 |      0 |      2 |
| Bhadrak        |      0 |      0 |      1 |      2 |      1 |
| Boudh          |      0 |      0 |      0 |      1 |      1 |
| Cuttack        |      8 |     11 |     11 |     18 |     26 |
| Dhenkanal      |      1 |      0 |      1 |      1 |      1 |
| Gajapati       |      1 |      0 |      1 |      1 |      1 |
| Ganjam         |      4 |      4 |      6 |     10 |     13 |
| Jagatsinghapur |      0 |      1 |      0 |      1 |      1 |
| Jajapur        |      2 |      0 |      1 |      3 |      5 |
| Jharsuguda     |      0 |      1 |      0 |      0 |      3 |
| Kalahandi      |      1 |      1 |      1 |      5 |      2 |
| Kandhamal      |      0 |      0 |      0 |      1 |      1 |
| Kendrapara     |      0 |      1 |      2 |      2 |      2 |
| Kendujhar      |      0 |      0 |      2 |      3 |      3 |
| Khordha        |     46 |     52 |     67 |     98 |    124 |
| Koraput        |      0 |      1 |      0 |      0 |      2 |
| Malkangiri     |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |
| Mayurbhanj     |      1 |      1 |      1 |      1 |      2 |
| Nabarangpur    |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      1 |
| Nayagarh       |      0 |      0 |      0 |      0 |      1 |
| Nuapada        |      0 |      0 |      1 |      0 |      0 |
| Puri           |      1 |      1 |      3 |      5 |      6 |
| Rayagada       |      0 |      0 |      0 |      1 |      0 |
| Sambalpur      |      0 |      3 |      3 |      5 |      6 |
| Sonepur        |      0 |      0 |      1 |      0 |      0 |
| Sundargarh     |      4 |      3 |      6 |      8 |      8 |

71

83

116

183

227

Annexure - IV referred to in reply of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2407 to be answered on 18.12.2023.

Details of the programs implemented to promote Women Entrepreneurship are as under:-

- (i) To promote flow of both equity and debt to women led startups, 10%  of  the  fund  (Rs  1000  crore)  in  the  Fund  of  Funds  for  Startups Scheme operated by SIDBI is reserved for women led startups. Under said  scheme,  as  on  30 th   April  2023,  11  women-led  AIFs  have  been supported  under  FFS  and  approximately  Rs.  2,000  crores  have  been invested in around 110 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  served  as  a  platform  for  emerging women  entrepreneurs  and  other  stakeholders  to  discuss  the  key challenges facing women entrepreneurs. WING workshops have created 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. A total of 24 workshops were conducted  across  9  States,  benefiting  more  than  1,300  women entrepreneurs.
- (iii) Virtual Incubation Program for Women  Entrepreneurs were conducted in collaboration with Zone Startups to support 20 women-led tech startups with pro-bono acceleration support for 3 months.
- (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 & Entrepreneurial Drive), for the entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, and students from North-eastern region. In addition, the workshops are being conducted with a specific focus  on  women  entrepreneurs  across  the  north-eastern  states.  The workshops  were  organized  during  the  month  of  November  2022  and December  2022  in  Manipur,  Assam,  Meghalaya,  Mizoram,  Arunachal Pradesh,  Nagaland,  Sikkim,  and  Tripura.  The  workshops  witnessed participation of over 11,000 ecosystem stakeholders such as government officials, startups, aspiring entrepreneurs, investors, academic institutions, etc.
- (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. More than 8 podcasts have been released to spread awareness related to  innovations from  women and to further strengthen women entrepreneurship in the country.
- (viii) Through its 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.
- (ix) 5 out of the 75 Bioincubation centres of BIRAC (under BioNEST& EYUVA schemes) are dedicated centres for women entrepreneurs that provide incubation space and mentoring (business, IP, legal) specifically  to  women  students/scientists/entrepreneurs  as  well  as

support women Self Help Groups (SHGs). Over 200 women led projects have been supported under various BIRAC schemes.

- (x) BIRAC's  WInER  Award  fellowship  (Women  In  Entrepreneurial Research),  in  partnership  with  TiE-Delhi  NCR.  Under  this  award programme, women entrepreneurs working on ideas that impact large sections of the society are awarded Rs.5 lakhs each along with other benefits including mentoring, handholding, an opportunity to go through an  intensive  accelerator  programme.  60  women  founders  have  been awarded over four editions of the fellowship.
- (xi) Under  SAMRIDH  scheme  MeitY  has  a  dedicated  women  led accelerators named Zone Startups supporting the cohort of 5 women led startups.
- (xii) Under the Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE) Scheme of MeitY, financial assistance is provided to  Institutions  of  Higher  Learning  to  strengthen  their  Technology Incubation Centres for enabling young entrepreneurs to create technology startup companies for commercial exploitation of technologies developed by them. Under the scheme, 34 entrepreneurs are women.

(xiii) 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.

(xiv) To identify the depth, quality and spread of innovation, inclusivity and diversity, and entrepreneurship in country, the  Government instituted the National Startup Awards ('NSA'). The winners of NSA have emerged from Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Mysuru, Bhopal, Gurugram, Kochi, Lucknow, Margao, etc. All four editions of the

NSA (2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023) have featured a special category and award for women-led startups. NSA recognizes and promotes startups across 20 sectors and special categories.

(xv) Ministry  of  MSME  has  taken  several  steps  to  support  women owned Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country to increase women's participation. The details of the programs implemented in this direction are as under:-

- a) Special  drives  for  registration  of  women  owned  MSMEs  under Udyam Registration Portal have been undertaken during 2022-23 and more than 2 lakh women owned MSMEs have registered on the portal during the special drives.
- b) Various  fiscal  incentives  are  provided  to  women  entrepreneurs under the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Micro and Small Enterprises.

c) To encourage entrepreneurship among women, the Ministry also implements a number of programs such as:-

▪ 'Skill Upgradation & Mahila Coir Yojana' under Coir Vikas Yojana, which is an exclusive training program aimed at skill development of women artisans engaged in the Coir sector.

▪ The  Ministry also implements  Prime  Minister's  Employment Generation  Programme  (PMEGP),  which  is  a  credit-linked  subsidy programme aimed at generating self-employment opportunities through establishment of micro enterprises in the non-farm sector by helping traditional  artisans  and  rural/urban  unemployed  youth.  Under  the scheme, women are provided higher subsidy (up to 35%) vis-à-vis non special category (up to 25%).

▪ Participation of women  entrepreneurs in trade fairs under Procurement & Marketing Support Scheme is subsidized 100% vis-a-vis 80% for other entrepreneurs.

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