List of Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs

 1. Skill Upgradation and Mahila Coir Yojana                           

The Skill Upgradation & Mahila Coir Yojana (MCY) is a program of the coir industry that focuses on imparting skill development training on subsidized equipment to those rural women who are still backward. These include stipends of ₹1000 per month to the trainees (₹200 per month if the program is shorter), ₹6000 per month to the trainers, and ₹400 per trainee per month for program costs. Women, who finish the training, can receive equipment that is 75% subsidized, with a maximum sum of ₹7,500 for motorized ratts and ₹3,200 for traditional and electronic ratts. This assists them in establishing their businesses in the coir industry. To learn more about this Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, visit https://my.msme.gov.in/MyMsmeMob/MsmeScheme/Pages/1_3_5_1.html 

 2. Mahila Samriddhi Yojana

The National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) provides credit support to the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana that empowers women entrepreneurs from backward class societies with project expenses not exceeding ₹1.4 lakh. Under this scheme, up to 90% of the project cost is disbursed along with a maximum loan not exceeding ₹1. 25 lakh. This interest rate is particularly favorable for the borrowers (i.e., the women) as NSFDC only charges 2% on behalf of several channeling agencies which in turn demand not more than 6% from the beneficiaries. Repayment is very reasonable and all the loans are repayable on an agreed installment basis over three years with an option of an initial grace period of three months after disbursement to help the establishment of businesses. To learn more about this Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, visit https://nsfdc.nic.in/en/mahila-samriddhi-yojana https://nsfdc.nic.in/

 3. Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP)

WEP has a list of services and government support programs that help women entrepreneurs. Several of these resources include the available mentorship programs, funding, incubation and acceleration services, business development services, research, and innovation support. WEP also links women with relevant partners. The government has launched certain specific programs that offer monetary help, skill development, and guidance to these aspiring women. The various schemes for financial support are the Women Enterprise Development Scheme, Stand Up India, and Startup India. These schemes provide financing in the form of loans and grants to support women and/or female entrepreneurs in launching and developing their ventures. All the details have further been discussed in the upcoming schemes that cover each one of them. To learn more about this Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, visit https://wep.gov.in/ 

 4. Trade Related Entrepreneurship Assistance and   Development (TREAD)

The TREAD scheme by the Government of India seeks to promote women entrepreneurs by responding to the barrier of credit constraint. That is, it works through NGOs to extend microfinance to women for non-farm enterprises and give them business skills. The scheme provides loans to NGOs capped at 30% of the loan, not more than ₹30 lakhs per project as deemed by these lending institutions. For greater facilitation of women’s participation, the organizations which are approved can get up to ₹1 lakh per training program while institutions involved in research, training module preparation, or any other functionary for the betterment of women empowerment under the scheme are granted up to ₹5 lakhs. To learn more about this Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, visit https://msme.gov.in/know-about-scheme 

 5. Support to Training and Employment Programme for   Women

The STEP program of the Ministry of Women & Child Development aims to promote the livelihood and economic upliftment of women from backward classes like wage laborers, female-headed households, tribals, etc., by providing them with skill development and employment opportunities. This is a planned program and is usually implemented by non-governmental organizations or government departments. The projects under this program may take five years to come to fruition. This type of program provides funding for training, infrastructure, raw materials, and even credit through various agencies such as Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) in a phased manner. In addition, there are guaranteed cash flows for the first year to fund working capital and raw materials. STEP also stands for strengthening the quality of the lives of beneficiaries through the inclusion of health, education, and gender sensitization training for participants and staff of the project. To learn more about this Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, visit https://wcd.nic.in/sites/default/files/Revised%20schemeof%20STEP_0.pdf

 6. Mudra Yojana for Women/ Mahila Udhyami Yojana

The Department of Financial Services under the Ministry of Finance provides Mudra loans for women entrepreneurs. It includes collateral-free business loans with flexible tenures for repayments ranging from 3 to 5 years and a comparatively lower interest rate, going up to ₹10 lakh. They are intended for female-headed non-corporate and non-farming income-generating enterprises. To be more precise, these include several small and micro businesses engaged in manufacturing and production (like artisans or weavers), mobile phone repair, auto repair services, tailors, electronics features and repair services, spas, and beauty parlors. These types of loans are available for starting a business, expanding a current one, or updating an already existing business. Any woman between the ages of 18 to 65 years is eligible. To learn more about this Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, visit https://www.startupindia.gov.in/content/sih/en/women_entrepreneurs.html

  7. Stand-Up India

The Stand-Up India Scheme offers credit facilities to the SC/ST women borrowers (i.e., to start a business), carved out by the Government of India through banks in the range of ₹10 lakh to ₹1 crore. This is sought to be achieved through subsidizing greenfield enterprises in manufacturing, services, agri-business, or direct trading. Furthermore, banks are mandated to disburse at least one Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe borrower or woman borrower per branch under this program. Even in the case of non-individual enterprises, the SC/ST women must have at least a 51% stake in them. This relevant scheme has become dominantly popular over the years amongst SC/ST women entrepreneurs for its kept promises. To learn more about this Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, visit https://www.standupmitra.in/ 

 8. Nai Roshni- Scheme for Leadership Development of Minority Women

The Nai Roshni initiative implemented by the Ministry of Minority Affairs helps empower minority women in rural areas educationally by providing them with knowledge about governmental schemes, banks, and other financial institutions. This is essentially provided by NGOs and governmental organizations, where the services include leadership training, education, health, hygiene, finances, life skills, legal rights, digital competence, and social activism. This initiative aims to increase the confidence and self-reliance of women from the minority community and also women from other neighboring communities. To learn more about this Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, visit https://www.startupindia.gov.in/content/sih/en/women_entrepreneurs.html 

 9. Mahila Shakti Kendra

Mahila Shakti Kendra (MSK) is a scheme strengthened by the Government of India from 2017 to 2020 to strengthen the rural women in the 115 most backward districts of the country. It is based on the principles of community involvement and seeks to provide all women with the required knowledge and tools. It was planned in phases, and in the first year, it covered 50 districts and 400 blocks. Furthermore, 640 District Level Centres for Women (DLCWs) were created to establish the infrastructure for the district level to support and assist women. As a whole, the scheme became the epitome of women’s empowerment (as its name suggests) and pushed them further towards entrepreneurship. To learn more about this Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, visit https://wcd.nic.in/sites/default/files/About%20MSK%20scheme%20.pdf 

 10. Nari Shakti Puraskars

The Ministry of Women and Child Development awards Nari Shakti Puruskars every year on International Women’s Day, i.e., March 8th to recognize those doing wonders in empowering the women folk. Institutional awards like the “Rani Rudramma Devi Award” are awarded with a certificate and a cash reward of ₹ 2,00,000/-. Specific awards (e.g., Award for Courage & Bravery) pertain to the different facets of women’s emancipation and include a certificate and ₹1 lakh cash. It is open to anyone from India and does not matter if he/she is from a particular race, caste, or creed. However, individual nominees must be over 30 years of age on the 1st of January as of the year of nomination, and must have at least 5 years of practice in the relevant field for which he/she is receiving the award, and he/she must have never won an award before. To learn more about this Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, visit https://www.startupindia.gov.in/content/sih/en/women_entrepreneurs.html 

 11. Women Scientists Scheme

At its core, the Women Scientist Scheme (WOS) under the Department of Science and Technology offers support to women scientists (27-57 years of age and those who have taken a break from their careers) to enable them to return to their careers. Available as a basic research grant for a maximum of 3 years in three categories, including WOS-A basic/applied science research, WOS-B social problem solving through science and technology, WOS-C self-employment focused IPR internship; the scheme funding extends to fellowship, research, travel support, and so on. Preferential admission is given to Indian citizens with postgraduate degrees in science, engineering, or medicine. To learn more about this Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, visit https://www.startupindia.gov.in/content/sih/en/women_entrepreneurs.html 

 12 . National Startup Awards

The Department for Promotion of Investment and Internal Trade acknowledges the startups under different categories through a special award program. Multiple categories are provided with this opportunity including women-based startups, rural influence, and manufacturing champions. Winners also benefit from publicity. They are further blessed with business opportunities (in collaboration with various NGOs). Moreover, they become exemplary figures who inspire other youths to engage in entrepreneurial activities for social and economic contributions. Although it is not directly associated with women’s empowerment, it provides a push towards women’s entrepreneurship. To learn more about this Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, visit https://www.startupindia.gov.in/content/sih/en/nsa2022.html 

 13. BIRAC-TIE WINER Awards

The BIRAC also known as the ‘Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council’ is a body under the Department of Biotechnology (India) that fosters and collaborates with the Indian biotech industry. They offer capital, technology, and other essential support to new-generation companies to realize their potential to compete in the international markets. Especially, BIRAC has a policy aimed at assisting women entrepreneurs in biotechnology. This is facilitated by funding through special programs like SPARSH, pushing bio-incubators (i.e., solely for women-led start-ups), granting awards (for women innovators), and ensuring their partnerships with other agencies. To learn more about this Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, visit https://birac.nic.in/desc_new.php?id=818 

 14. Credit Guarantee Scheme for Micro and Small Enterprises

The Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises offers free funds under the Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE). The impending scheme holds several advantages for women entrepreneurs, micro-enterprises, and companies operating in the Northeast location. Loans from ₹5 lakhs to ₹200 lakhs are disbursed at subsidized interest rates under the micro-loan program. Women entrepreneurs in the Northeast states can avail loans of ₹5 lakhs at an interest rate of only 1%. Another remarkable feature of this advantageous scheme is that “Self-Help Groups (SHGs)” are also within their eligible lists. To learn more about this Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, visit https://www.cgtmse.in/ 

 15. National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation Schemes

Through the NMDFC (National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation), the Ministry of Minority Affairs assists women within minority groups via an empowerment program. They offer skill development training to aspiring business women and train 20 women for six months. The participants jointly form a SHG during this training session to address the aforementioned functions. To support these women, NMDFC further funds the training program and offers a monthly allowance of ₹1,000 to each trainee. On successful completion of the program, each SHG member is given a micro-credit loan of up to ₹ 1 lakh for 7% annual interest to convert their skills into a sustainable livelihood. To learn more about this Start Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs, visit https://nmdfc.org/nmdfcschemes 

List of Some Additional Schemes for Women Entrepreneurs in India

 16. Dena Shakti Scheme 

The Dena Shakti Scheme of the Dena Bank (which has recently merged with the Bank of Baroda) was designed to offer easier credit facilities to women entrepreneurs. They enabled business loans of up to ₹20 lakh for women entrepreneurs working in agriculture, retail, and manufacturing industries. Notably, the scheme offered a concession of 0.25% on the interest rate compared to regular business loans, making them more affordable. Also, the repayment period of one to three years enabled the women entrepreneurs to repay the loans flexibly, depending on the business expansion period. To know more about this scheme, visit https://www.weact.in/                                                                                                                       

 17 .Udyogini Scheme

The Udyogini scheme fosters the backbone of rural women to become successful business individuals or entrepreneurs. It educates them and subsequently provides them with important business knowledge via skill development programs and focused entrepreneurship training. In particular, this training tries to identify the barriers and advantages of women entrepreneurs in rural settings, and through such analysis, plans are framed to empower women in the business sector. While addressing these specific needs, the Udyogini scheme assists women entrepreneurs in maximizing the performance of their businesses. To know more about this scheme, visit https://udyogini.org/ 

 18. Synd Mahila Shakti Scheme

Synd Mahila Shakti Scheme of Syndicate Bank focuses on giving funding to women in India involved in manufacturing or the service sectors, by supporting their business endeavors. They offer loans up to ₹ 5 crore with very low interest rates so that one can start a new business, expand, or manage it conveniently. Furthermore, it can be secured without any collateral security for loans up to ₹10 lakhs. The program targets women with technical backgrounds or experience in business. In terms of applications and credits, the Synd Mahila Shakti Scheme aims at making women efficient entrepreneurs. To know more about this scheme, visit https://www.weact.in/financial-guide/bank-loans/synd-mahila-shakthi-scheme 

Conclusion: Empowering Women! Empowering the Nation!

The Indian government offers a multitude of programs and financial schemes to empower women entrepreneurs. These programs provide financial assistance, skill development training, and mentorship to help women overcome challenges and launch successful businesses. From the MUDRA Yojana for collateral-free loans to the National Startup Awards recognizing women-led startups, there’s a program to fit a variety of needs and stages of business development. This comprehensive support system shows the government’s commitment to fostering women’s entrepreneurship and its role in strengthening the Indian economy. Start Up Registration India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs not only builds women but also builds the nation.