New Delhi: The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) on Wednesday launched the Women Entrepreneurship Program, aiming to empower women entrepreneurs and stimulate economic growth by addressing their unique challenges.
Britannia Industries Limited will work with Skill India Digital Hub to provide cash incentives and exhibit their products, fostering an inclusive environment for female entrepreneurs.
Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, complimented Britannia’s efforts to promote women’s entrepreneurship, emphasizing the substantial progress made through National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) and other ministries.
He also emphasized the significance of working together with other organizations and government departments to provide skill training to women’s self-help groups, either individually or collectively, and to assist in organizing them into various corporate entities.
He underlined that 82% of Jan Shikshan Sansthan’s trainees are women. He said that women make up nearly 45% of the PMKVY short-term training program participants.
The initiative provides women with essential skills, knowledge, and networking opportunities through self-learning basic entrepreneurship courses on the Skill India Digital Hub in multiple languages.
The initiative aims to empower 25 lakh women in India by offering co-branded certificates from NSDC, Britannia Industries, and NIESBUD to recognize their entrepreneurial skills and competencies.Britannia Industries plans to award financial grants of 10 lakh rupees each to the top 10 contestants, aiming to encourage innovation and excellence.
Shri Ved Mani Tiwari, COO of NSDC, highlighted the program’s emphasis on women-led entrepreneurship, which is consistent with the Prime Minister’s goal for women’s development. He emphasized the collaboration of business and public sector organizations.
Ms Trishaljit Sethi, DG, Directorate General of Training, Ms. Sonal Mishra and Ms. Hena Usman, Joint Secretaries in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and other top officials attended the event.
Speaking about Britannia’s reason for partnering with NSDC, Shri Rajneet Singh Kohli, CEO and Executive Director of Britannia Industries, stated that Britannia Marie Gold’s vision is to assist women entrepreneurs soar together to achieve more. He described the MoU with the National Skill Development Corporation as a game changer for women’s empowerment in India.
The Indian government is implementing a program to support women entrepreneurs through essential skills development, free self-learning courses, and incubation support. The program, divided into two phases, will offer free online courses in multiple languages covering entrepreneurial skills, enterprise setup, finance basics, digital skills, and market analysis.
In the next stage, NSDC will offer incubation support to 10,000 shortlisted participants in 100 business models, including model selection, entrepreneurship development programs, workshops, registration aid, project report writing, and finance guidance through government initiatives.
NSDC and Britannia are partnering to assess the success and sustainability of women-led businesses, aiming to create a supportive ecosystem for women entrepreneurs, thereby contributing to India’s economic advancement.
