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The Union government has undertaken various initiatives to encourage women entrepreneurship across the country, said Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Chaudhary informed the Upper House of Parliament that the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) through the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati has been working for the empowerment, upliftment and development of women entrepreneurs across the country.

The programmes include Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) for strengthening the entrepreneurship ecosystem for the marginalised populations; and the Programme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) during 2021-24. The programme saw participation from 32,262 women (67 per cent of total beneficiaries).

NIESBUD also implemented a training-of-trainers and Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) and trainers training programme on employability, entrepreneurship, and life skills in Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) during 2022-23. About 3,883 women (78 per cent of total beneficiaries) participated in the programme.

NIESBUD also conducted EDP training for the students of the National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) / Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and is providing mentoring and handholding support after the completion of the EDP for the establishment of the enterprises of the trainees under Skills Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE).

“Till May 22,239 women (28 per cent of total participants) have participated in the programme during 2023-24,” the Minister said.

Further, the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) – NIESBUD and IIE are implementing the capacity building and entrepreneurship component of the PM-JANMAN Scheme for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).

“The Institutes are implementing the scheme in collaboration with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. During 2023-24, NIESBUD and IIE have trained 36,016 participants, out of which 28,786 are women,” he said.

Another programme is the Rashtriya Udyamita Vikas Pariyojana (RUVP), rolled out on a pilot basis for Prime Minister Street Vendor's Atma Nirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANIDHI) beneficiaries. NIESBUD and IIE are implementing the project in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Till May, NIESBUD and IIE have trained 2,729 participants out of which 904 are women, Chaudhary said.