The Impressive TimesNew Delhi- In a major step towards women-led economic empowerment under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched the Swavalambini Women Entrepreneurship Programme in collaboration with NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform. The initiative, rolled out in February 2025, is currently being piloted across six Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) and Universities in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana.
The programme is being implemented through MSDE’s autonomous institutions—National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), Noida, and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati—with the aim of nurturing entrepreneurial mindset among 1,200 female students.
The key objectives of the Swavalambini Programme are to equip young women with skills to transform ideas into sustainable businesses, provide multi-stage training, from awareness to enterprise creation, build capacity through structured programmes like EAP, EDP, and FDP, and offer mentorship, market linkages, legal support, and access to funding.
The training and support structure includes the Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme (EAP) with a target of 1,200 students, of which 996 students have been trained. The Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) targets 600 students selected from EAP, with 139 students trained. This phase focuses on intensive training in business setup, finance, compliance, and networking. The Faculty Development Programme (FDP) targets 75 faculty members, of which 43 educators have been trained. The objective is to enable faculty to mentor aspiring women entrepreneurs on campus.
The EDP is followed by 21 weeks of mentorship and handholding by industry leaders and successful women entrepreneurs. Participants gain real-world insights, business strategies, and motivational support to turn ideas into action.
NITI Aayog is actively supporting the initiative by organizing capacity-building workshops, offering expert mentoring, facilitating seed funding opportunities, and recognizing outstanding performers through its “Award to Reward (ATR)” initiative.
Based on the pilot’s success, MSDE is considering expansion of the Swavalambini Programme to more States and Union Territories, with the goal of integrating entrepreneurial education into mainstream higher education. The long-term vision is to help women evolve as job creators, not just job seekers, thereby contributing significantly to India’s startup and innovation ecosystem.
Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge), MSDE, shared this update in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today, emphasizing the government’s commitment to inclusive development and women’s economic participation
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