Parliament Question: Skill Training for Women and SC/ST Entrepreneurs

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5949 ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026 SKILL TRAINING FOR WOMEN AND SC/ST ENTREPRENEURS 5949. DR. MALLU RAVI: Will the Minister of SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware that Telangana’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) trained 600 women graduates in digital and workplace skills; (b) if so, the details of number of women and SC/ST beneficiaries trained in Nagarkurnool under the said programme; (c) whether any Central Schemes, specifically target entrepreneurship and self-employment in these groups are being implemented in the said State and if so, the details thereof; (d) the details of total number of trainees who started businesses or secured employment; and (e) the steps proposed/to be proposed by the Government to expand the said programmes to other backward Constituencies? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) to (e) The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), in collaboration with the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) of NITI Aayog as knowledge partner, launched the Swavalambini - a Women Entrepreneurship Programme in February 2025 in six Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)/Universities of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana as a pilot project. The target group for the Swavalambini Project includes 1200 female students from Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) and Universities who underwent introductory programme on entrepreneurial awareness through Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme (EAP). Out of these, 600 students were selected for undergoing the Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP), offering intensive entrepreneurship development training covering crucial business aspects such as skilling, access to finance, market linkages, compliance and legal support, business services and networking opportunities. This is followed by 21 weeks of mentorship and handholding support to help participants translate their ideas into sustainable enterprises. A total of 150 women were trained under the EAP in Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Hyderabad, Telangana, out of which 48 students were selected for Entrepreneurship Development Programme and out of these students, 5 set-up their enterprises. Moreover, the Ministry through its autonomous organizations, namely, National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) has implemented various Entrepreneurship Development Programmes (EDPs) and Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Programmes (ESDPs) under variousschemes to promote entrepreneurship amongst all sections of the society, including women and SC/ ST beneficiaries across the country including the State of Telangana. These EDPs and ESDPs are designed to impart entrepreneurial, financial and managerial skills and to offer post-training support through mentorship, handholding, and access to credit/finance, market linkages and incubation facilities. In addition, the Ministry continues to take steps to strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem through targeted interventions, sector-specific programmes and enhanced institutional partnerships and convergence to promote entrepreneurship across the country including in the other backward Constituencies. Further, there are various initiatives being implemented by NIESBUD for promotion of entrepreneurship in the State of Telangana. The details of such initiatives including the number of beneficiaries who have established enterprises or accessed structured entrepreneurship support are placed at Annexure-I. Moreover, there are various Central Schemes being implemented by Ministries/ Departments of Government of India with the objective of promoting entrepreneurs and self-employment in the country, including for the women and SC/ST beneficiaries of Telangana. The details of various such Central Schemes including the number of beneficiaries who have established enterprises are placed at Annexure-II.ANNEXURE I ANNEXURES REFERRED TO IN REPLY OF PART (a) to (e) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5949 ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026 REGARDING “SKILL TRAINING FOR WOMEN AND SC/ ST ENTREPRENEURS” The details of various entrepreneurship development initiatives being implemented by NIESBUD for promotion of entrepreneurship in the State of Telangana, including the number of beneficiaries who have established enterprises are as under: 1. Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) - a scheme of Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) being implemented since 2024, aims to enhance the socio-economic conditions of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) by providing them with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water, improved access to education, health and nutrition, road and telecom connectivity, electrification of un-electrified households and sustainable livelihood opportunities. The scheme focuses on 11 critical interventions related to 9 key Ministries including Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). The key intervention of the MSDE is facilitating skill and entrepreneurship development in Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) in 15 States across the country under which a total of 500 VDVKs are to be operationalized by 31.03.2026. As on 25.03.2026, a total of 38,386 beneficiaries have been trained under the Entrepreneurship Development Programme. From the total trained beneficiaries under EDP, 1461 are in the State of Telangana, out of which 996 are women. A total of 489 VDVKs have been operationalized, out of which 25 are in the State of Telangana. 2. Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana Scheme (PM SGMBY Scheme) – MSDE, in collaboration with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), is organizing Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) on Solar Entrepreneurship under MNRE’s flagship scheme PM SGMBY. The programme aims to promote rooftop solar adoption, empower entrepreneurs, and create sustainable livelihood opportunities by fostering and mentoring budding and existing entrepreneurs in the field of solar entrepreneurship. Between July 2024 (inception) and 25.03.2026, 30,928 beneficiaries have been trained in the Entrepreneurship Development Programme of the scheme, out of which 135 have been trained in the State of Telangana. Among the beneficiaries in Telangana, 8 were women. 21 existing vendors were capacitated and 19 new vendors/ sub- vendors were registered/ enterprises established in Green Energy Sector in the State of Telangana. 3. Strengthening Entrepreneurial Climate through Capacity Building, Incubation Support, Mentoring, and Handholding under SANKALP Scheme – MSDE, through NIESBUD implemented a project for strengthening the entrepreneurship ecosystem of different marginalized sections of the society and women under the Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) Scheme between December 2022 and March 2025. The scheme aimed at creating, fostering and promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship among the various target groups through Capacity Building, Incubation Support, Mentoring and Handholding. A total of 62825 beneficiaries have been trained under the scheme, out of which 1700 were in the State of Telangana. Out of the beneficiaries trained in Telangana, 1617 were women and 170 enterprises were established. 4. Pilot Project for Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP) - NIESBUD implemented a Pilot Project for Entrepreneurship Development Program in 10 States supported by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, from January 2020 to March 2023, which aimed atcreating, fostering and promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship among the target groups through Entrepreneurship Development Programme, Mentoring and Handholding support. A total of 5000 beneficiaries were trained under the project during Financial Years 2019-20 to 2022-23, out of which 200 beneficiaries were trained in the State of Telangana. Out of the beneficiaries trained in Telangana, 198 were women and 40 established their own enterprises. 5. Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) Project - Under the Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) project of MSDE, NIESBUD has conducted awareness and sensitization programmes at National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) between October 2023 to May 2024. These activities were followed by the selection of prospective entrepreneurs to undergo the Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP). The Institute has conducted EDP training for the target group of 32091 beneficiaries, out of which 1259 were in the State of Telangana. Out of the beneficiaries in Telangana, 145 were women. 6. Capacity Building Programme for Fair Price Shop Owners – MSDE, in collaboration with the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD), Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, has undertaken a Capacity Building Programme for Fair Price Shop (FPS) Owners. The project is aimed at enabling the FPS owners to run their businesses in consonance with the contemporary practices being adopted by Retail Entrepreneurs. As on 25-03-2026, 315 FPS owners have been trained under this programme, out of which 26 were in the State of Telangana. A total of 91 Fair Price Shops have been converted into Jan Poshan Kendras, out of which 6 are in the State of Telangana.ANENXURE II ANNEXURES REFERRED TO IN REPLY OF PART (a) to (e) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5949 ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026 REGARDING “SKILL TRAINING FOR WOMEN AND SC/ ST ENTREPRENEURS” The details of various Central Schemes being implemented by Ministries/ Departments of Government of India with the objective of promoting entrepreneurs and self-employment in the country, including for women and SC/ST beneficiaries of the State of Telangana are as under: 1. Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJ&E) – DoSJ&E launched the Pradhan Mantri – Dakshta Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) Scheme, a Central Sector Scheme, in the financial year 2020-21, for providing skill trainings to marginalized persons belonging to SCs, OBCs, EWSs, DNTs, Safai Karamcharis, including waste pickers aged 18 to 45 years, through the empanelled training institutes on a pan-India basis. A total of 1,198 beneficiaries have secured employment under the PM-DAKSH Scheme in the State of Telangana. 2. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) - Startup India initiative was launched on 16th January 2016, with an intent to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation, startups and encouraging investments in the startup ecosystem of the country. Under the Startup India initiative, the Government is implementing flagship Schemes such as Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS) to support startups across categories at various stages of their business cycle. FFS has been established to catalyze venture capital investments and is operationalized by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), which provides capital to Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)-registered Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) which in turn invest in startups. As on 31st January 2026, supported AIFs under the Scheme have invested around Rs. 25,859 crore in selected startups. Further, from 2020 onwards, around Rs. 2,995 crore have been invested in women-led startups by AIFs under the Scheme, as on 31st January 2026. SISFS provides financial assistance to seed stage startups through incubators. SISFS is implemented from 1st April 2021. As on 31st January 2026, selected incubators under the Scheme have approved funding of around Rs. 592 crore to selected startups, of which funds of around Rs. 294 crore have been approved to women-led startups. CGSS is implemented for enabling debt funding to startups through eligible financial institutions. CGSS is operationalized by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) Limited and has been operationalized from 1 st April 2023. As on 31st January 2026, loans amounting to around Rs. 925 crore have been guaranteed to startup borrowers, of which loans amounting to around Rs. 39 crore have been guaranteed to women-led startups. As on 31st January 2026, a total of 2,12,283 entities have been recognised as startups by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Of the total entities recognised as startups, 1,02,054 entities have at least one-woman director/ partner, out of which 5,922 are in the State of Telangana. 3. Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (M/o MSME) - Ministry of MSME, through Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), is implementing the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP). It is a central sector scheme generating employment opportunities primarily in rural areas by assisting prospective entrepreneurs in setting up new micro enterprises in the non-farm sector across the country including State of Telangana.PMEGP assists General Category beneficiaries with Margin Money (MM) subsidy of 25% of the project cost in rural areas and 15% in urban areas. For beneficiaries belonging to Special Categories such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, Minorities, Women, Ex- servicemen, Physically Handicapped, Transgenders, beneficiaries belonging to Northeastern Region (NER), Hill and Border areas, and Aspirational Districts, the Margin Money subsidy is 35% in rural areas and 25% in urban areas. Initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of MSME under PMEGP to promote entrepreneurship and create job opportunities across the country including State of Telangana are as follows: i. Enhancement of maximum project cost from Rs. 25 lakh to Rs. 50 lakh for manufacturing sector and from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh for service sector. ii. Inclusion of applicants from Aspirational districts and Transgenders under special category eligible for higher subsidy. iii. Acceptance of PMEGP applications from beneficiaries in physical form in 19 regional languages since June 2025 excluding Hindi and English. iv. No collateral security will be insisted upon by banks in line with the guidelines of RBI for projects involving loan up to Rs.10 lakh in respect of the projects forwarded to the financing banks by the implementing agencies. v. Enhancing the scope of activities by modifying Negative list to allow more activities under Animal Husbandry like dairy, poultry, aquaculture and sericulture. As a special case, piggery, a major source of livelihood in NER, is allowed in NER States. vi. A wide range of more than 1,000 Model of Detailed Project Reports have been prepared on various industries and made available on the PMEGP online portal enabling applicants to submit quality DPRs. vii. Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) training is provided to prospective entrepreneurs and beneficiaries to provide orientation and awareness pertaining to various managerial and operational functions like finance, production, marketing, enterprise management etc. viii. Awareness programmes in all the States/UTs including backward and under-performing areas, Aspirational districts, North Eastern Region particularly for SC/ST, women and youth beneficiaries etc. The number of women, SC/ ST owned Microenterprises assisted under the PMEGP Scheme in the State of Telangana, including in Nagarkurnool district are as given in Annexure II-A. 4. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) - MoHUA was implementing the “Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM)” till 30th September, 2024 which aimed to reduce poverty and vulnerability of urban poor households by enabling them to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, in order to improve their livelihoods on a sustainable basis, through building strong grassroots level institutions of the urban poor including women. The Mission ended on 30.09.2024. Self-employment programme (SEP) Component of DAY-NULM focused on providing financial assistance to individuals/groups of urban poor for setting up gainful self-employment ventures/ micro-enterprises, suited to their skills, training, aptitude and local conditions. Beneficiaries assisted for setting up of individual/ group micro enterprises in the State of Telangana: 16,098 Number of loans provided to SHGs under Bank Linkage programme in the State of Telangana- 42,775Employment through Skills Training and Placement (EST&P) component of DAY-NULM intended to provide training to the urban poor as per the skill demand from the market, so that they could set up self-employment ventures or secure salaried employment. No. of candidates skill trained in the State of Telangana- 24,484 No. of skilled candidates placed in the State of Telangana- 17,437 5. Department of Science and Technology (DST) - Following programmes of DST provide support for SC/ST beneficiaries including women beneficiaries on pan India basis, including Telangana state: (a) Science Technology and Innovation (STI) Hubs: This programme focusses on holistic development of Scheduled Tribe/ Scheduled Caste communities across diverse regions of the country through systemic interventions in collaborative frameworks. By establishing STI Hubs in partnership-driven networks, it seeks to overcome last-mile challenges in introducing, delivering, managing, and extending technology applications for the benefit of target populations. These hubs also harness frontier technologies from knowledge institutions for deployment in target areas. The key objectives include strengthening weak linkages in livelihood systems through Science and Technology interventions, promoting social enterprises as per community strengths, and enriching Indigenous Knowledge Systems with scientific inputs for sustainable growth. (b) Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Cells in State Science and Technology Councils: The program is designed to leverage the significant presence of these councils across States and Union Territories in a more systematic and effective manner. It aims to achieve development for SC/ST communities through collaborative efforts involving government officials, industry, academia, and society while adopting a bottom-up approach to gather information on livelihood systems, encompassing human, natural, social, physical and financial capitals, as well as local and indigenous knowledge. (c) Individual R&D projects: The program, implemented in project mode, is designed to address critical livelihood challenges faced by Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) communities. These initiatives specifically target issues within livelihood systems or other pressing concerns that require the application of Science and Technology for resolution. The approach is beneficiary-oriented, emphasizing innovative research and development strategies to tackle identified challenges. Each project is structured to focus on one, or at most two to three, key problem areas at a time, ensuring concentrated efforts and measurable impact.ANNEXURE II-A ANNEXURES REFERRED TO IN REPLY OF PART (a) to (e) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5949 ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026 REGARDING “SKILL TRAINING FOR WOMEN AND SC/ ST ENTREPRENEURS” The number of women, SC/ ST owned Microenterprises assisted under the PMEGP Scheme in the State of Telangana, including in Nagarkurnool district are as given below: Number of women owned Microenterprises assisted in the State of Telangana under PMEGP during FY 2022-23 to FY 2024-25: Financial No. of Microenterprises MM Subsidy (Rs. Estimated Employment Year Assisted Cr.) Generated 2022-23 953 39.77 7,624 2023-24 967 46.18 7,736 2024-25 764 36.04 6,112 Number of women owned Microenterprises assisted in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana state under PMEGP during FY 2022-23 to FY 2024-25: Financial No. of Microenterprises MM Subsidy (Rs. Estimated Employment Year Assisted Lakh.) Generated 2022-23 22 65.68 176 2023-24 19 93.96 152 2024-25 19 71.83 152 Number of SC owned Microenterprises assisted in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana state under PMEGP during FY 2022-23 to FY 2024-25: Financial No. of Microenterprises MM Subsidy (Rs. Estimated Employment Year Assisted Cr.) Generated 2022-23 6 9.69 48 2023-24 5 32.34 40 2024-25 9 28.14 72 Number of ST owned Microenterprises assisted in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana state under PMEGP during FY 2022-23 to FY 2024-25: Financial No. of Microenterprises MM Subsidy (Rs. Estimated Employment Year Assisted Cr.) Generated 2022-23 18 44.25 144 2023-24 17 41.90 136 2024-25 24 88.09 192 *****