Page 1 of 5
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at
http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 04 Issue 05
May 2018
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 129
Women Entrepreneurship in Rural India
Keshari Nandan Mishra
Associate Professor, Department of History, H. N. B. Government P.G. College, Allahabad,
Uttar Pradesh, India
Abstract
The paper indicates and emphasizes the women entrepreneurs as the potentially emerging
human resource in the 21st century to overcome the economic challenges in global
perspective. Women of 21st century is no more a traditional resource confined to homes only
rather an educated, knowledgeable and innovative part of the overall population possessing
the capacity to transform economies into thriving enterprises. Developing and developed
nations have realized that developing women entrepreneurship is indispensable to flourish as
economically dominant nation in the modern high-tech world. The present study deals with
history of women’s economic development, current context of women in SHGs, opportunities,
constraints of women entrepreneurs. This paper tries to highlight the women’s sustainable
development is inevitable and possible with some helping hand.
Keywords: women entrepreneurs, human resource, SHGs, population, sustainable
development
Introduction
“When women move forward, the family
moves, the village moves and the nation
moves”. These words of Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru is the central theme in the socio- economic paradigm of the country as it is
an accepted fact that only when women are
in the mainstream of progress can any
economic and social development be
meaningful (Saha and Banerjee,2001).
Entrepreneurship has gained greater
significance at global level under changing
economic scenario. Global economy in
general and Indian economy in particular
is poised for accelerated growth driven by
entrepreneurship. An entrepreneur is a
person who is able to look at the
environment, identify opportunities to
improve the environmental resources and
implement action to maximize those
opportunities. Entrepreneurship has been
globally felt as a developmental &
progressive idea for business world. Scott,
(1986). Therefore entrepreneurship is
considered as vital ingredient for not only
globalization but at the same time for
creating diverse opportunities for future
potential performers. Mitra, (2002).
Entrepreneurship is not just confined to
any one gender now rather due to multi-
Page 2 of 5
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at
http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 04 Issue 05
May 2018
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 130
faceted economic pressures women have
turned up & realized that the survival of
their families & their own potential lies
only in working side by side with men.
Marlow, (2002).
Rural Women Entrepreneur
The growth of the economies of many
countries is due to the increasing
participation of women in entrepreneurial
activities. It is because of guidance and
counseling extended to the women in
SHGs to un earthen their hidden
entrepreneurial capabilities by providing
skills, knowledge, adoptability and
sensitizing them towards socio-economic
status in the society. A woman who can
accept challenges, adventures and an urge
to become economically independent can
transform in to an ‘Entrepreneur’. A
woman entrepreneur can contribute
positive values to the family, community
and the society. Globally women are
indulging from teaching to technical areas.
In India by breaking the glass ceiling
women entrepreneurs are developing and
intruding into the male dominated arena as
garment manufactures, farm owners,
business women with many commodities,
establishing firms like, tiffin centres, milk
centres, petty shops etc.
Steps taken by government to improve
position of women entrepreneurs
Keeping in view the contribution of small
business to employment generation,
balanced regional development of the
country, and promotion of exports, the
Government of India’s policy thrust has
been on establishing, promoting and
developing the small business sector,
particularly the rural industries and the
cottage and village industries in backward
areas. Governments both at the central and
state level have been actively participating
in promoting self-employment
opportunities in rural areas by providing
assistance in respect of infrastructure,
finance, technology, training, raw
materials, and marketing. Some of the
support measures and programmes meant
for the promotion of small and rural
industries are discussed below:
• National bank for agriculture and
rural development (NABARD) :-
NABARD was set up in 1982 to promote
integrated rural development. Since then, it
has been adopting a multi-pronged, multi- purpose strategy for the promotion of rural
business enterprises in the country. Apart
from agriculture, it supports small
industries, cottage and village industries,
and rural artisans using credit and non- credit approaches. It offers counselling and
consultancy services and organises training
and development programmes for rural
entrepreneurs.
Page 3 of 5
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at
http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 04 Issue 05
May 2018
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 131
• The rural small business development
centre (RSBDC) It is the first of its kind
set up by the world association for small
and medium enterprises and is sponsored
by NABARD. It works for the benefit of
socially and economically disadvantaged
individuals and groups. It aims at
providing management and technical
support to current and prospective micro
and small entrepreneurs in rural areas.
Since its inception, RSBDC has organised
several programmes on rural
entrepreneurship, skill up gradation
workshops, mobile clinics and trainers
training programmes, awareness and
counselling camps in various villages of
Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad.
• Small industries development bank of
India (SIDBI):- This has been set up as an
apex bank to provide direct/indirect
financial assistance under different
schemes, to meet credit needs of small
business organisations. It coordinates the
functions of other institutions in similar
activities; recommend measures
considered necessary for improving the
productivity of small enterprises in the
informal sector; generate more
employment opportunities on a sustainable
basis, particularly in the rural areas and
enhance the competitiveness of the sector
in the emerging global environment.
• Rural and women entrepreneurship
development (RWED):- The Rural and
Women Entrepreneurship Development
programme aims at promoting a conducive
business environment and at building
institutional and human capacities that will
encourage and support the entrepreneurial
initiatives of rural people and women.
• World association for small and
medium enterprises (WASME):- It is
the only International Nongovernmental
Organisation of micro, small and medium
enterprises based in India, which set up an
International Committee for Rural
Industrialisation. Its aim is to develop an
action plan model for sustained growth of
rural enterprises.
Apart from these, there are several
schemes to promote the non-farm sector,
mostly initiated by the Government of
India. For instance, there are schemes for
entrepreneurship through subsidised loans
like Integrated Rural Development
Programme (IRDP), Prime Minister
Rojgar Yojana (PMRY), schemes to
provide skills like Training of Rural Youth
for Self Employment (TRYSEM), and
schemes to strengthen the gender
component like Development of Women
and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA).
• Scheme of fund for regeneration of
traditional industries (SFURTI) :- To
make the traditional industries more
