Mumbai, 24 September 2020: “The idea of an aspirational India is deeply linked to our spirit of entrepreneurship; this spirit is a driving force which will turn the wheels of Indian economy, propelling it to greater heights”, said Mr Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, during a webinar organised by FLO, the Women’s Wing of FICCI on “Aspirational India- Role of Women Entrepreneurs in India’s Transformation.” The session elaborated on the role of women entrepreneurs as an important, untapped source of economic growth and have an important role as key drivers in India’s transformation journey.
“If India’s growth story has to continue then without women entrepreneurs and gender parity, India cannot grow, and it is pretty clear that India’s businesses cannot grow without women entrepreneurs. Gender constraints impede women entry in the entrepreneurial Landscape and a healthy ecosystem, it truly requires conscious efforts to improve women’s access to knowledge and the requisite skills.” Mr Kant further said
His experience of working as Secretary of Rural Development in Kerala, demonstrated that the self-help groups work much better when women are in lead, same was replicated in Andhra Pradesh and later in Orissa. In all these places. Rural Development & Community participation could take place only when women come into leadership.
NITI Aayog flagship initiative the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) provides an ecosystem for budding & existing women entrepreneurs across the country by providing different support services like Incubation, training, marketing, mentorship, etc. SIDBI has partnered with NITI Aayog to assist in this initiative. WEP offers incubation and acceleration support to women founded / co-founded startups through its various partners and provides them with the necessary support to help them start and scale-up.
Jahnabi Phookan, National President, FLO said “Talking about an aspirational India is not enough, we should all be a partner in the process. Our endeavour is to create economic possibilities for women at different levels and equip them to be in charge of their lives and participate in the sustainable development of the nation”.
India’s Women Labour Force participation is falling, in the year 2018-2019 it was around 18.6% in Rural and Urban India. As per the Sixth Economic Senses women constitute 13.76% of total entrepreneurs that is about 8.05 million, out of the 58.5 million entrepreneurs of our country, but these 8.05 million women entrepreneurs provide employment to over 13.45 million people. More than 90% of establishments run by women are reported to be micro enterprises out of which 60% located in Rural India and one-third of women entrepreneurs work in Agriculture sector followed by Manufacturing, Retail and Trade.
The session was moderated by Day Chair Dharitri Patnaik, Chairperson, FLO Bhubaneshwar along with other members from 17 chapters across country.
