Archive · 22 Aug 2026
Government Reviews Incubators To Expand Women-Led Rural Enterprises
The government wants to help more rural women build and grow businesses.
It has a goal of creating 6 crore women entrepreneurs called Lakhpati Didis.
A committee reviewed plans for four new business-support programmes.
These programmes could help more than 600 rural businesses with advice, money planning, technology and finding customers.
The proposed partners include four Indian Institutes of Technology and Management.
Existing programmes already support about 2,100 rural self-help-group businesses across 13 states.
The businesses may work in areas such as food, textiles, tourism and digital services.
The committee also discussed expanding a separate entrepreneurship programme in West Bengal and Goa.
The Rural Development Ministry reviewed proposals to expand women-led rural enterprises under DAY-NRLM’s Non-Farm Livelihoods component.
Four proposed incubators in Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat could support more than 600 rural enterprises.
The proposed partners are IIT Patna, IIM Jammu, IIM Lucknow and IIT Gandhinagar.
Four completed incubator programmes supported more than 600 self-help-group enterprises, while 14 programmes now operate across 13 states and support around 2,100 enterprises.
The committee also considered expanding the Startup Village Entrepreneurship Programme in West Bengal and Goa.
- Who
- The Ministry of Rural Development’s Empowered Committee, chaired by Rural Development Secretary Rohit Kansal, reviewed the proposals.
- What
- The committee considered four rural-business incubators and expansion of the Startup Village Entrepreneurship Programme.
- When
- The review was reported on Saturday; the articles do not specify the review date.
- Where
- The proposed incubators would be in Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat; expansion was considered for West Bengal and Goa.
- Why
- The proposals aim to strengthen women-led rural enterprises and support the national goal of creating 6 crore Lakhpati Didis.
- National goal
- Create 6 crore Lakhpati Didis.
- Proposed incubators
- Four programmes are proposed in Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
- Expected reach
- The new incubators could support more than 600 high-potential rural enterprises.
- Current programme scale
- Fourteen incubator programmes operate across 13 states and support around 2,100 rural self-help-group enterprises.
- Earlier results
- Completed programmes reported revenue growth, improved business formalisation and additional employment generation.
- Business sectors
- Focus areas include food and agri-processing, textiles, handicrafts, manufacturing, retail, services, tourism-linked activities and digital enterprises.
- Additional proposal
- The committee considered expanding the Startup Village Entrepreneurship Programme in West Bengal and Goa.
