Over 10 crore women have joined 90 lakh self-help groups (SHGs) nationwide thanks to the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), and many of them are now first-generation business owners, a government official said here on Thursday.

Union Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) Secretary Shailesh Kumar Singh emphasized the incubator program’s contribution to the growth of women-led rural businesses.

In addition to sharing that Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and numerous other states are scaling up with top academic partners, he highlighted the success of pilots in Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, and Karnataka during an event held here.

The Ministry hosted a two-day National Workshop on Rural Enterprise Incubators under DAY-National Rural Livelihood Mission here in partnership with Kerala State Rural Livelihood Mission (Kudumbashree).

Speaking to the audience, Kerala’s State Minister for Local Self-Government, M.B. Rajesh, emphasized the state’s dedication to supporting women-led entrepreneurship through Kudumbashree and conveyed assurance that the workshop would provide a forum for cooperation and creativity to fortify rural enterprise ecosystems.

The Ministry’s goal of expanding the incubator program into a nationwide platform for women-led rural entrepreneurship was emphasized by Swati Sharma, Joint Secretary (RL), MoRD, Government of India. She also stated that the workshop would produce practical strategies and solid partnerships to ensure the program’s long-term success.

The workshop will contribute to the development of an atmosphere that will support the growth of the businesses chosen for the incubator project.

H. Dineshan, Executive Director of Kudumbashree, greeted the attendees. The congratulatory speech was given by Dr. Bidyut C. Dekha, vice chancellor of Assam Agricultural University.

Prominent experts from academia, industry, and social enterprise networks will participate in panel discussions on mentoring, financing, technology, market access, and convergence at the workshop, according to the ministry. Their contributions and insights will help shape how rural enterprise incubation is scaled across states.

In keeping with the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047, the two-day discussions are anticipated to yield practical solutions for expanding enterprise incubation throughout states and support the empowerment of women entrepreneurs under DAY-NRLM.