India launches three new initiatives to mark International Women’s Day

NEW DELHI: India has launched three landmark initiatives to promote entrepreneurship among women on the occasion of International Women's Day, which is marked on 8th March. In the run-up to events marking International Women's Day, Narayan Rane, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), said India now has 14 million MSMEs led by women. The three new initiatives launched this year to encourage women entrepreneurship include a mentorship platform called the 'Mentorship Scheme' under the Ministry's Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP). Another initiative is an 'Award-to-Reward' (ATR) programme aimed at taking women-led MSMEs to their next level of growth by providing capacity-building support through the WEP. The third initiative is a national campaign for women-led MSMEs to register on the sole government portal to 'unlock a world of opportunities.' The portal is called 'Udyam,' which translates from several Indian languages into English as 'enterprise.' Rane said the registration and certification, which will follow, have been made free of charge for MSMEs owned by women. He said the government has set up a Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE). 'Women entrepreneurs who are beneficiaries of the CGTMSE scheme and well-performing women entrepreneurs are being honoured.' Source: Emirates News Agency