WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN INDIA

What is an Entrepreneur?
“ An entrepreneur is some one who is a risk taker and is ready to face challenges.”

What is Women Entrepreneur?

“ It may be define as a woman or group of women who initiate, organize and run business
enterprise.”
Government of India has defined women entrepreneurs as an enterprise owned and controlled
by a women having a minimum financial interest of 51 % of the capital and giving at least 51%
of the employment generated in the enterprise to women.

Why do Women Take-up Employment?

• Push Factors
– Death of bread winner

– Sudden fall in family income

– Permanent inadequacy in income of the family

• Pull Factors
– Women’s desire to evaluate their talent

– To utilize their free time or education

– Need and perception of Women’s Liberation, Equity etc.

– To gain recognition, importance and social status.

– To get economic independence

Problems of women entrepreneurs

• Problem of finance
• Scarcity of raw material
• Stiff competition
• Family ties
 • Lack of education
• Male dominated society
• Low risk bearing ability

Scheme for women entrepreneurship

• Women can start a unit with a group of two to three women promoters as a partnership
venture or as a cluster of units. This will facilitate them to take care of their family duties
and at the same time to look after the unit personally.

• Service industry and food industry are some of their tested areas of success.

• Suitable engineering industry with low labour intensity can also be started.

• Government policy since last two years is giving more emphasis to SSI units and many
easy and innovative schemes are launched through commercial banks/ financial
institutions.

• Concession in rate of interest is also provided.

• Special schemes like Mahila Udyan Nidhi is operated by SIDBI through commercial
banks exclusively for Women to set up SSI units and to start service activities.

Supportive Measures for Women’s Economic Activities and Entrepreneurship

• Direct & indirect financial support

• Yojna schemes and programmes
• Technological training and awards

Direct & Indirect Financial Support

• Nationalized banks
• State finance corporation
• State industrial development corporation
• District industries centers
• Mahila Udyug Needhi scheme
 • Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)
• State Small Industrial Development Corporations (SSIDCs)

Yojna Schemes and Programmes

• Nehru Rojgar Yojna
• Jawahar Rojgar Yojna
• TRYSEM
• DWACRA

EXAMPLES
Indra Nooyi- 4th position- Chief Executive—designate, Pepsi Co.
This Madras born woman was a straight “A” student in her school. Nooyi did her bachelors from
Madras Christian College and MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. Nooyi then
went to USA and attended Yale University. From Yale, she obtained degree on management.
This brilliant corporate woman started her career in Boston Consulting Group and moved on to
Motorola and Asea Brown Boveri. She joined Pepsi Co. in 1994. She turned the company into a
bold risk taker. In 1998, Pepsi acquired Tropicana. In 1997, Pepsi started its own fast food chain.
In 2001, she became President of Pepsi Cola. Wall Street Journal included her name in their top
50 women to watch in 2005. Fortune magazine declared her 11th most powerful women in
business.

Problems
• Dual role to play at workplace & at home place
• Subordinate to men
• Just that her being women
• Non-awareness of facilities provided by government
• Competition with large scale units
• Problems related to marketing

Suggestions
 • Procedure of getting finance should be simple
• Effective propagation of programmes and yojna
• Linkages between product, services and market centers.
• Encouragement to technical and professional education.

Conclusion

Henceforth, promoting entrepreneurship among women is certainly a short-cut to rapid

economic growth and development. Let us try to eliminate all forms of gender discrimination
and thus allow‘women’ to be an entrepreneur at par with men.

I encourage you to take the time to think about what inspires you. Do you wake up each
morning eager to get started? If not, it might be time to reanalyze your career choices. If you
feel stuck, tap into a broader community of women that are smart, savvy and successful. These
women can help you breakthrough to the next level in your business so you too can be a part of
the rise of women entrepreneurs.

For hundred, even thousands of year, women have been successful entrepreneurs. Our
unique mindset, viewpoints, attitudes and skills as women have all contributed to our successes
in business.