Bharat Shifting from Women Development to Women – Led Development
- At the National level, 70 central schemes across 15 Ministries and more than 400 State-level schemes focus on supporting female entrepreneurship.
PLFS data shows that female self-employment grew by 30% – from 51.9% in 2017-18 to 67.4% in 2023-24, making women truly Atmanirbhar.
Gender budgets have increased by 429% in the last decade, rising from ₹0.85 lakh crore in FY 2013-14 (RE) to Rs. 4.49 lakh crore in FY 2025-26.
Program like Startup India have fostered a thriving ecosystem, with nearly 50% of DPIIT registered startups having at least one-woman director i.e., 74,410 out of over 1.54 lakh.
- Today around two crore women have become Lakhpati Didi.
Flagship programs such as Namo Drone Didi, and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – NRLM are playing also crucial role in this transformation, equipping them with resources and opportunities needed to drive sustainable progress.
Another important driver of the rise in women’s self-employment is PM Mudra Yojana, which is playing a crucial role in financial inclusion, with women receiving 68% of the total MUDRA loans – (over 35.38 crore loans worth ₹14.72 lakh crore).
Similarly, under PM SVANidhi has empowered street vendors, around 44% beneficiaries are women under the scheme.
Additionally, women-led Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have also emerged as key drivers of economic expansion, generating over 89 lakh additional jobs for women from FY 21 to FY 23.
The share of women-owned proprietary establishments has surged from 17.4% in 2010-11 to 26.2% in 2023-24, and the number of women-led MSMEs has also nearly doubled, growing from 1 crore in 2010-11 to 1.92 crore in 2023-24, highlighting the increasing role of women in shaping India’s economic future.
