As of August 1 last year, women-owned units comprised 19.43 percent of more than 2.10 crore MSMEs. According to data recently shared by MSME Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, 39 percent of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises registered with the MSME Ministry under the revised MSME definition of 2020 are women-owned. This count includes GST-exempted informal micro units registered on the Udyam portal via the Udyam Assist Platform (UAP).
As of July 25, 2024, 1.84 crore enterprises out of around 4.78 crore Udyam-registered units (since July 2020), including UAP units (since January 2023), were women-owned. “The percentage of women owners of Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) registered on Udyam and Udyam Assist Platform (UAP) since the launch of Udyam on July 1, 2020, and the launch of UAP on January 11, 2023, in the country is 39 percent,” said Manjhi in his response.
Highlighting initiatives to boost the share of women MSMEs, Manjhi noted the amended Public Procurement Policy of 2018, which mandates CPSEs to procure at least 3 percent of their annual procurement from women entrepreneurs. He further added, “To support women entrepreneurs under the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Micro and Small Enterprises, the following provisions have been introduced for women entrepreneurs effective December 1, 2022: first, guarantee coverage of up to 85 percent as against the 75 percent for others; and second, a 10 percent concession in annual guarantee fees.”
In June this year, the MSME Ministry launched the Yashasvini initiative to campaign in Tier-II and III towns for women entrepreneurs and empower women by building their capacity. Meanwhile, FE Aspire reported last year, citing government data, that as of August 1 last year, the share of women-owned units in more than 2.10 crore MSMEs was 19.43 percent, including UAP-registered enterprises.
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