The Government has taken a number of steps to support MSMEs, including women owned enterprises in the country and for increasing participation in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises such as:

1. Special drives for registration of women owned MSMEs under Udyam Registration Portal have been undertaken during 2022-23 and more than 2 lakh women owned MSMEs have registered on the portal during the special drives.
2. To benefit women entrepreneurs, the Public Procurement Policy was amended in 2018 mandating Central Ministries/Departments/ Undertakings to procure at least 3% of their annual procurement from women entrepreneurs.
3. To support Women Entrepreneurs under Credit Guarantee Scheme for Micro & Small Enterprises, two provisions have been introduced for women entrepreneurs w.e.f. 01.12.2022. These are:

1. 10% concession in annual Guarantee fees; and
2. 10 % additional Guarantee coverage of up to 85%, as against the 75 % for other entrepreneurs.

4. To encourage entrepreneurship among women, Ministry of MSME implements ‘Skill Upgradation & Mahila Coir Yojana’ under Coir Vikas Yojana, which is an exclusive training program aimed at skill development of women artisans engaged in the Coir sector.
5. The Ministry also implements Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), which is a major credit-linked subsidy programme aimed at generating self-employment opportunities through establishment of micro enterprises in the non-farm sector by helping traditional artisans and rural/urban unemployed youth. Out of the total PMEGP beneficiaries, 39% are women and they are provided higher subsidy (upto 35%) vis-a-vis non-special category (upto 25%).
6. Participation of women entrepreneurs in trade fairs under Procurement & Marketing Support Scheme is subsidized 100% vis-a-vis 80% for other entrepreneurs.
7.  “SAMARTH” initiative has been launched to support women-owned MSMEs with the objective of providing Skill Development and Market Development Assistance to women and to train more than 7,500 women candidates from rural and sub-urban areas in the FY 2022-23. Under SAMARTH, aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs have been provisioned with 20% Seats in free Skill Development Programs organized under Skill Development Schemes of the Ministry; 20% of MSME Business Delegations for domestic & international exhibitions under the schemes for Marketing Assistance implemented by Ministry; and 20% discount on annual processing fee on NSIC’s Commercial Schemes.

            The State-wise details of women owned MSMEs registered under Udyam Portal since its inception till 17.03.2023 is given at Annexure-I.

            The Government has taken a number of recent initiatives under Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to support the MSME sector for all categories including women in the country especially COVID-19 Pandemic. Some of these include:

1. 1. 1. Rs. 5.00 lakh crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for businesses, including MSMEs;
      2. Rs. 50,000 crore equity infusion through Self Reliant India (SRI) Fund;
      3. New revised criteria for classification of MSMEs;
      4. No global tenders for procurement up to Rs. 200 crores;
      5. “Udyam Registration” for MSMEs, for Ease of Doing Business;
      6. Launching of an online Portal “Champions” in June, 2020 to cover many aspects of e- governance including redressing grievances and handholding of MSMEs;
      7. Inclusion of retail and wholesale traders as MSMEs;
      8. Non-tax benefits extended for 3 years in case of an upward change in status of MSMEs.
      9. Launch of Udyam Assist Platform (UAP) on 11.01.2023 to bring Informal Micro Enterprises (IMEs) under the formal ambit for availing the benefit under Priority Sector Lending (PSL).

ANNEXURE-I

This information was given by the Minister of State for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, Shri Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

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MJPS