Swavalambini Programme Targets 1,200 Women Students For Entrepreneurship Training

New Delhi, Mar 12 (KNN) As many as 1,200 female students fr0m participating higher education institutions under the Swavalambini Women Entrepreneurship Programme are targeted for entrepreneurship awareness training, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Statistics and Programme Implementation Rao Inderjit Singh informed the Lok Sabha.

The initiative is being implemented by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in collaboration with NITI Aayog under its Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP).

Launched in February 2025 as a pilot project, the programme is currently being implemented in six higher educational institutions across Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana.

Programme Goals

The project aims to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among female students, while familiarising them with available schemes, financial support, market linkages and institutional networks needed to pursue entrepreneurship.

The programme is being implemented through autonomous institutes of MSDE, including the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) in Noida and the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) in Guwahati.

Under the initiative, 1,200 female students fr0m participating higher education institutions are targeted for entrepreneurship awareness training. Of these, 600 students are selected for an Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) that provides intensive training on business planning, access to finance, market linkages, compliance, legal aspects and networking opportunities.

Participants also receive 21 weeks of mentorship and handholding support to help transform their ideas into viable enterprises.

Government Support to Women Entrepreneurs 

According to the government, 1,110 women have been trained under the Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme (EAP), while 302 women have undergone the Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP). In addition, 75 women have been trained under the Faculty Development Programme (FDP) designed to equip educators with skills to mentor aspiring entrepreneurs.

Under the programme framework, MSDE oversees implementation and monitoring, while NITI Aayog provides mentorship support, workshops and seed funding opportunities through the Award to Reward initiative.

The government has also undertaken several other measures to promote women entrepreneurship. These include a mandate requiring central public sector enterprises and government departments to procure at least 3 percent of their annual purchases fr0m women-owned micro and small enterprises.

Under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), around 39 percent of beneficiaries are women, who are eligible for a higher subsidy of up to 35 percent compared with 25 percent for other categories.

Women entrepreneurs also receive 100 percent subsidy for participation in trade fairs under the Procurement and Marketing Support Scheme, compared with 80 percent for other entrepreneurs, the government added.

The ministry also runs several initiatives to promote entrepreneurship among different groups, including the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan, Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, and the Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) project.

(KNN Bureau)