Women Entrepreneurs are rising and setting examples for aspiring women founders by starting successful companies that compete with established players. Their efforts boosted the business growth in the country and contributed to the economic development. The success stories of these women are enough to fill enthusiasm in the younger generation but where they lack is the vital financial assistance they need to establish their dream startup. Some of the many startups raised by women entrepreneurs are Mobikwik, YourStory, MamaEarth, Nykaa, and Yatra.
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Challenges Faced by Women Entrepreneurs
India does not lack human resources. It has the most number of youth in the world. The government ran various schemes and awareness campaigns for the education of girl children which had a very positive impact. The literacy rate of women lacks behind the male’s literacy rate but overall women's literacy has increased at an impressive rate. The shortcomings exist on the financial level only and if such assistance is provided to these young entrepreneurs, these shortcomings will be mitigated just like the literacy rate.
Woman Entrepreneur Scheme
To support women entrepreneurs financially, the central government, state government and even banks are running various schemes. If you qualify the eligibility criteria for these schemes, you can be benefitted from these schemes. These schemes provide monetary assistance as well as training and skill development to woman entrepreneurs.
Women Entrepreneur Scheme by Central Government
The woman entrepreneur schemes funded by the central government are as follows-
| S. No. | Scheme | Ministry | Benefits | Eligibility |
| 1 | Skill Upgradation and Mahila Coir Yojana | Ministry of MSME | Two Month Training Program for Women Artisans, Rs. 3000 Stipend, Assistance for Coir Unit Setup | Rural Women Artisans from Coir Fibre Producing Regions |
| 2 | Mahila Samriddhi Yojana | Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment | Financial Assistance of Rs. 1,40,000, Rebate in Interest | Women belonging to Backward Classes with a family income of less than 3 lakh rupees per annum |
| 3 | Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) | NITI Aayog | Networking, Funding, Incubation, Acceleration, Compliance, Skill, Mentorship and Marketing | Existing and Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs |
| 4 | Trade Related Entrepreneurship Assistance and Development (TREAD) | Ministry of MSME | Grant of 30% of the total project cost + 70% as a loan | A legal entity with a minimum registration of three years, Experience in thrift and saving programs with Self Help Groups, Involvement in Income Generation Activities for Women Entrepreneurs |
| 5 | Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women | Ministry of Woman and Child Development | Skills to provide employability and skills to become self-employed | Women who have attained the age of sixteen years |
| 6 | Mudra Yojana for Women (Mahila Udhyami Yojana) | Ministry of Finance | Loan of Rs. 10 lakh with no collateral, low interest, flexible repayment | Woman Entrepreneurs of 18 to 65 years of age doing Manufacturing and Production Business and other SMEs |
| 7 | Stand-Up India | Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) | Bank Loans of 10 lakh to 1 crore to one candidate from each class (SC, ST, Women) per bank branch for greenfield enterprise; in case of a joint venture, at least 51 per cent stake should be held by the beneficiary | SC, ST and Woman Entrepreneurs above the age of 18 years working in greenfield, borrowers should not be in default to any bank |
| 8 | Nai Roshni Scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women | Ministry of Minority Affairs | Training Modules to provide knowledge, tools, technics for social awareness of minority women | Women belonging to minority communities and rural areas |
| 9 | Mahila Shakti Kendra | Ministry of Women and Child Development | Empowering rural women through community participation | Rural women |
| 10 | Nari Shakti Puraskars | Ministry of Women and Child Development | Given to women and institutions for their work towards the cause of woman's empowerment. The individual category has a certificate and a cash prize of one lakh while the institution category has a certificate and cash prize of two lakh rupees. | Individual women and institutions that have worked for at least five years in the relevant field and attained the age of thirty years. It's not given to a person who is awarded previously. |
| 11 | Women Scientists Scheme | Ministry of Science and Technology | Financial Support to Research Activities | Women Scientists and Technologists from 27 to 57 years of age with five years of relaxation to SC/ST/OBC |
| 12 | National Startup Awards | Ministry of Commerce and Industry | Financing, Partnerships, and Talent | Women-led startups, Impact in rural areas, Campus startups, Manufacturing excellence, Innovation addressing the pandemic, Solution delivery or business operations in Indic languages, and Startups from North-East and Hilly States/UTs |
| 13 | BIRAC TiE WInER Awards | Ministry of Science and Technology | Seed funding of five lakh rupees to fifteen selected women entrepreneurs and other perks provided by TiE and BIRAC | Indian Woman Entrepreneur and promoter of an Indian company for the last ten years working in the field of pharma, life science and biotech |
| 14 | BIRAC Regional Techno Entrepreneurship Centre | Ministry of Science and Technology | Mining resources, Roadshows on Techno Entrepreneurship, Training for rural woman entrepreneurs, Immersion programs, Showcase events, Design workshops, and Incubation practice school |
Citizens of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal |
| 15 | Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSME | Ministry of MSME | Financial benefits to micro-enterprises and units covered under the northeast region at an interest rate of 1% up to 5 lakhs, 1.35% for 5 lakh to 50 lakh and 1.8% for 50 lakh to 2 crores |
New and Existing SMEs engaged in manufacturing and services covered under the MSME Act |
| 16 | Self Employment Lending Schemes (Credit Line 1) | Ministry of Minority Affairs |
Training in women-friendly craft activities for groups of approximately 20 women, Training duration of up to six months, Stipend of INR 1,000 per month for trainees, Micro-credit available to SHG members, up to INR 1 lakh At the interest rate of 7% per annum |
Credit Line 1 is the existing stream of concessional credit, being disbursed on the basis of income limits of Rs.98,000 p.a. for rural areas & Rs.1.20 lacs for urban areas for Self Help Groups |
Women Entrepreneur Scheme for State Government
The following four banks are running women entrepreneur schemes to provide financial assistance-
- Punjab National Bank - Mahila Udyam Nidhi Yojana
- Dena Bank - Dena Shakti Scheme
- State Bank of India - Stree Shakti Package
- Central Bank of India - Cent Kalyani Scheme
Apart from these banks, the state governments also provide various schemes to woman entrepreneurs. These schemes are to ensure that women get equal opportunities in the field of business and don’t lack financial resources.
How to Claim Benefits under the Woman Entrepreneur Schemes?
Women Entrepreneurs can claim the benefits under various schemes of the central government, state government and schemes provided by the bank. For many schemes, you can fill out the application form online like the Mahila Udyam Nidhi Yojana of Punjab National Bank. While for others you can download the application form online or obtain it from the nearby branch and thereafter submit it to the nearest branch after filling in all the required details. Similar processes to apply for other central and state government schemes are there.
Conclusion
The emergence of woman entrepreneurs in India has greatly influenced business growth and economic development. Despite their achievements, financial assistance remains a critical factor for their startups. The central government, state governments, and banks have introduced a range of schemes to offer financial support, training, and skill development opportunities to women entrepreneurs to mitigate financial shortcomings. These schemes cater to diverse needs and eligibility criteria, providing funding, networking, and empowerment. By harnessing these schemes, women entrepreneurs can overcome financial obstacles and thrive in their business endeavours. Aspiring women entrepreneurs need to explore and capitalize on these schemes to fulfil their entrepreneurial aspirations and contribute to India's economic progress.
This portion of the site is for informational purposes only. The content is not legal advice. The statements and opinions are the expression of author, not corpseed, and have not been evaluated by corpseed for accuracy, completeness, or changes in the law.
