Swavalambini

• 17 Mar 2025

Why in News? 

Recently, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship ( MSDE ) in collaboration with NITI Aayog launched the women entrepreneurship programme Swavalambini at Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut . 

Key Points 

• About Swavalambini: 
  • Swavalambani It is a women entrepreneurship program aimed at empowering women by helping them develop an entrepreneurial mindset, providing necessary resources and guidance for business success. 
  • Program structure:  
    • A phase-wise entrepreneurship process is initiated comprising Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme (EAP), Women Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP), Faculty Development Programme (FDP ) and Financing . 
    • This will involve recognising and rewarding successful enterprises, which will inspire others and establish a clear framework for promoting women-led enterprises in India. 
    • Strengthen the culture of entrepreneurship in higher education institutions, making business creation a viable career path for women.  
    • Promote women-led enterprises as a key driver of India's economic transformation. 
  • Aligned with national policies: 
    • National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 promotes skill integration, industry collaboration, and entrepreneurship-driven education. 
    • Swavalambanni works on this by ensuring financial and consultancy support for women entrepreneurs . 
    • It strengthens initiatives like Start-up India , Stand-up India , PM Mudra Yojana and Women Entrepreneurship Platform . 
    • Swavalambanni is in line with Union Budget 2025 , which launches a Rs 10,000 crore start-up fund and 100% tax exemption on start-up dividends for the first five years , providing crucial financial support to emerging women-led enterprises. 

Women Entrepreneurship Scenario in India 

• Total MSMEs in India: Over 63 million, Women-owned MSMEs 20% (12.39 million). 
• Employment Contribution: Women-led MSMEs provide employment to 22-27 million people. 
• India Ranking in Women Entrepreneurship: India is currently ranked 57th out of 65 countries in the Mastercard Index on Women Entrepreneurship (MIWE) 2021 . 
  • India ranks 70th among 77 nations in the Global Female Entrepreneurship Index (FEI) as estimated by the Global Entrepreneurship and Development Institute. 
• Top states with highest participation of women-led MSMEs: West Bengal (23.42%), Tamil Nadu (10.37%), Telangana (7.85%), Karnataka (7.56%), and Andhra Pradesh (6.76%).