The Campaign aims to train 50,000 Community Resource Persons on enterprise promotion and 50 Lakh SHG Members under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

Importance of Rural Entrepreneurship

• Women Empowerment: Closing the gender gap in entrepreneurship could potentially boost the global GDP by USD 1.5 trillion.
• Income Diversification: Women are moving beyond traditional farm labor into non-farm activities that now generate two-thirds of rural income.
• Poverty alleviation and Social mobility: 65% of rural SHG members have moved upwards in terms of relative income in between FY19 and FY24 (SBI report).
• Community Resilience: By fostering local employment, women-led enterprises help reduce rural-urban migration and unplanned urbanization.

Government Steps to Promote Rural Entrepreneurship

• Financial Assistance:Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana provide collateral-free loans.
• Targeted Schemes: The Udyogini Scheme and Mahila Coir Yojana provide financial aid, training, and subsidized equipment, specifically for women.
• Micro Entrepreneurship Development Programmes (MEDPs), Livelihood & Enterprise Development Programme (LEDPs) of NABARD.
• Incubation and Training: The ASPIRE scheme by Ministry of MSME, to foster entrepreneurship and innovation in rural areas, has trained over 1.16 lakh beneficiaries.
• Lakhpati Didi Initiative: Under DAY-NRLM, the government aims to enable 3 crore SHG members to earn at least ₹1 lakh annually through enterprise promotion.