Sashakti Will Accelerate The Growth Of Female Entrepreneurs In India: Union Minister

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to make India ‘aatmanirbhar’ in all aspects and women entrepreneurship is one the main element in that. We are expected to be 3rd biggest economy in 2030 and this will not happen without the participation of women, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Narayan Rane said at Sashakti Conclave in Delhi on Tuesday.

“The Sashakti will accelerate the growth of female entrepreneurs in India. The government of India fully supports this collaborative project as it is aimed at furthering financial inclusion and entrepreneurship,” Rane assured. 

Sashakti Conclave was organised by the Learning Links Foundation and Mastercard, to celebrate the success and showcase achievements of the initiative which aimed to equip women entrepreneurs from low-income backgrounds with the knowledge and skills required to build and run their businesses efficiently.

According to the foundation, Sashakti is working towards empowering budding women entrepreneurs across India to become financially and digitally literate by leveraging unique digital offerings and training support.

Foundation also claimed that it has empowered 38,000 women entrepreneurs across 7 states – Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Telangana, in the last few years.

During the event, the minister also launched the Sashakti mobile application, a technology-based solution for fueling the growth of women entrepreneurs with features like social networking, best practices sharing, skill development, a repository of content and inspiring success stories of women entrepreneurs.

He along with other dignitaries distributed a grant of Rs 5,000 each to 760 women enrolled under the program from across the 7 states where the program is currently operational.

On the occasion, Dr Anjlee Prakash, Chairperson of Learning Links Foundation said, “The Learning Links Foundation recognises the importance of entrepreneurship in ensuring financial independence of women and development of the national economy. In India, only 13.5 per cent of businesses are owned by women. Initiatives like Sashakti are needed to give them the comprehensive support they need to become long-term actors in the world of entrepreneurship.”

We are grateful to Mastercard for coming forward to not only support this initiative but also help in conceptualising this model which today is delivering impact at scale, Prakash added.

Under the Sashakti initiative, women are provided technical training around legal and compliance matters involved in starting or expanding a business. Additionally, women were made aware of the government schemes designed and available for micro-entrepreneurs. The program focuses on enhancing the digital expertise of women entrepreneurs, so they can reach a larger consumer base and join collectives such as self-help groups and cooperatives to leverage better bargaining power.