Startup Ecosystem for Rural, Women and Tribal Entrepreneurs

Government of India, through Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, has taken initiatives for executing business entrepreneurship development plans and projects for the youth and women of the Country through business enterprise instruction, handholding and mentorship and basic linkages with financial and market institutions.

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is actualizing a project on entrepreneurship promotion and mentoring of micro and small enterprises in six temple towns of Puri, Varanasi, Haridwar, Kollur, Pandharpur and Bodh Gaya, to tap the innovative capability of first generation entrepreneurs, educated unemployed youth, school/school dropouts, ladies, youth from in reverse network and so forth.

To energize women entrepreneurship, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is actualizing a project named 'Financial Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs and Startups by Women' as a team with Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Germany. The project pilots hatching and speeding up programs for women micro entrepreneurs visionaries to fire new organizations and scale up existing ventures in Assam, Rajasthan and Telangana.

The project has the target to guide the incubation program with 250 ladies and the speeding up program with 100 women. The first cohort of the help program finished in April-May, 2020 and the second cohort has initiated in July, 2020.

MSDE is executing a pilot scheme, PM YUVA (PM Yuva Udyamita Vikas Abhiyan) towards making an empowering ecosystem through entrepreneurship education, training, advocacy and easy access to the enterprise organization and spotlights on understudies/learners and graduated class emerging from the skilling biological system, for example, Industrial Training Institutes, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra, Jan Shikshan Sansthan, and so on.

Further, Govt. of India, through Ministry of Rural Development, is actualizing Skill improvement Training programs through Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs) which has the arrangement of Bank Credit office for setting-up miniature undertakings by the expertise learners. This scheme is aimed toward expanding employability of rural poor youth for either wage or self employment.

RSETI program is right now being executed through 585 RSETIs by 23 Leading Banks (both Public Sector and Private Sector just as few Gramin Banks) in 33 States/UTs covering 566 Districts in the nation. Out of these, there are 30 RSETIs in Odisha, incorporating 3 RSETIs in the KBK district, for giving preparing to the country poor in different ability business improvement exercises, liberated from cost to empower them to begin ventures of their own.

Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Program (SVEP) is executed by Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Ministry of Rural Development, since 2016,with the goal to help the rustic helpless emerge from destitution, supporting them set up endeavors and offer help till the undertakings settle, SVEP focusses on giving independent work opportunities for financial help and preparing in business the board and delicate aptitudes while making nearby network units for advancement of ventures. SVEP has broadened business uphold administrations and capital mixture in 23 states, including Odisha.

Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY) by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is a Market Linked Entrepreneurship Development Programme for forming cluster of Tribal Self Help Groups and strengthening them into Tribal Producer Companies.

Government of India through Department of Financial Services has dispatched the Stand-up India Scheme to encourage Bank advances from Scheduled Commercial Banks between Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 1 crore to in any event 1 Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe borrower and at any rate 1 ladies borrower for each bank office for setting up a Greenfield undertaking in trading services or manufacturing sector.

Further, Govt. of India through Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) is actualizing the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Program (PMEGP), which has the objective to produce independent work openings through foundation of miniature endeavors for non-ranch area. The maximum cost of projects is Rs. 25 lakh in the manufacturing sector and Rs. 10 lakh in the service sector. Advantage can be profited under PMEGP for setting up of new units as it were.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri R.K. Singh in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

Women Entrepreneurship

Government has taken several measures aimed at promoting entrepreneurship among women in the country. These include:

1. Initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE):

• To support women entrepreneurship inside the Country, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) executes the undertaking named'Economic Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs and Startups by Women'.The venture pilots incubating and quickening programs for ladies miniature business visionaries to fire new organizations and scale up existing endeavors.

2. Initiatives of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME):

• Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP):

  A majorcredit-linked subsidy programme aimed at generating self-employment opportunities through establishment of micro-enterprises in the non-farm sector.Any individual above 18 years of age is eligible to avail benefits of the program.
• For beneficiaries belonging to special categories such as women/ scheduled caste/scheduled tribe/OBC /minorities, ex-serviceman, physically handicapped, North Eastern Region(NER), Hill and Border areas etc. the margin money subsidy is 35% in rural areas and 25% in urban areas.
• Special provision of 3 per cent procurement from Micro and Small Enterprises owned by women.

3. NITI Aayog’s initiative:

• The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) was launched on 8 March, 2018 on the occasion of the International Women’s Day as NITI Aayog’s flagship initiative. WEP has pan India coverage and does not have state specific programme/s. Registration on the portal and all subsequent services are provided free of cost for WEP users. WEP caters to both aspiring and well established women in the space of entrepreneurship.

4. Ministry of Rural Development is implementing the following:

• Skill development through Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs),is a Bank-led initiative, enabling a trainee to take bank credit and start his/her own micro-enterprise.
• RSETI program is currently implemented through 585 RSETIs by 23 Leading Banks (both Public Sector and Private Sector as well as few Gramin Banks) in 33 States/UTs covering 566 districts in the country.
• Training in RSETI is being imparted for 61 courses aligned with National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF). Out of 61 courses as many as 38 following courses are exclusively suitable for women candidates for taking up-self employment ventures after being trained in these courses.

This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani in Lok Sabha today.