On September 24, 2025, NITI Aayog’s Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Division organized a National Seminar on “Global Aspirations, Local Foundations: Scaling Women-Led Startups from Rural India” in NITI Aayog, New Delhi. The seminar was led by Shri Rajeev Singh Thakur, Adviser, NITI Aayog (Additional Secretary, Govt. of India) and featured discussions enriched by Shri T.K. Anil Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development; Shri Surender Mehra, Adviser (RD&PR), NITI Aayog; Ms. Mercy Epao, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises; and Shri Sanjiv Singh, Joint Secretary, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Key executives, State level officials, CEOs of State Rural Livelihood Mission, and representatives from international organisations fostered dialogue on scaling women-led rural startups.
The seminar emphasized creating end-to-end support systems, strengthening block-level setups, promoting female labor force participation, enhancing enterprise readiness, improving access to gender-responsive financing, and leveraging digital platforms like the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and e-commerce to ensure sustainable market linkages. It also underscored the role of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in expanding export potential and the need for convergence between Ministries and State Governments to support women entrepreneurs. States shared initiatives and practices for empowering women entrepreneurs. The event reaffirmed placing women at the forefront of rural entrepreneurship to scale grassroots visibility to global markets.
Release ID: 2170927. The release was posted on September 24, 2025, at 9:01 PM by PIB Delhi.
Key Entities Referenced
NITI Aayog: The host organization of the National Seminar and key driver of the initiatives discussed.
Global Aspirations, Local Foundations: Scaling Women-Led Startups from Rural India: Title of the National Seminar focusing on women-led startups from rural India.
Ministry of Rural Development: A ministry that participated in the seminar.
Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises: A ministry that participated in the seminar.
Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT): Plays a role in expanding export potential for women-led enterprises.
NITI Aayog
NITI Aayog hosts National Seminar on “Global
Aspirations, Local Foundations: Scaling Women-Led
Startups from Rural India”
Posted On: 24 SEP 2025 9:01PM by PIB Delhi
NITI Aayog’s Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Division organized a National Seminar on “Global
th
Aspirations, Local Foundations: Scaling Women-Led Startups from Rural India” on 24 September 2025 in
NITI Aayog, New Delhi. The seminar was led by Shri Rajeev Singh Thakur, Adviser, NITI Aayog
(Additional Secretary, Govt. of India). The discussions were further enriched by Shri T.K. Anil Kumar,
Additional Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Shri Surender Mehra, Adviser (RD&PR), NITI Aayog,
Ms. Mercy Epao, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, and Shri Sanjiv Singh,
Joint Secretary, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, who collectively emphasized strategies to scale
women-led startups from rural India to global markets.
The event also brought together the key executives from the ground, State level officials from different
departments, CEOs of State Rural Livelihood Mission, representatives from international organisations
alongside policymakers, industry leaders, and changemakers, fostering dialogue on scaling women-led rural
startups.
The experts emphasized the need to create end-to-end support systems and strengthen block-level setups,
while promoting female labour force participation and enhancing the quality of work and enterprise readiness.
They highlighted the importance of improving access to gender-responsive financing and leveraging digital
platforms, including the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and e-commerce, to ensure consistent
and sustainable market linkages.
The seminar also underscored the role of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in expanding
export potential, ensuring compliance, and enhancing visibility and logistics for rural women-led enterprises.
A key takeaway was the need for stronger convergence between Ministries, State Governments, and related
agencies to provide coordinated support for women entrepreneurs. States shared innovative initiatives and
best practices, demonstrating scalable models for empowering rural women entrepreneurs.
The deliberations reaffirmed that placing women at the forefront of rural entrepreneurship and enabling their
enterprises to scale from grassroots visibility to global markets is not only an economic priority but also a
social imperative for India’s inclusive development journey.
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MJPS/SR
(Release ID: 2170927)