Page 42 - EDII Report 136

Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India Reports 136
Ahead of Women’s Day, We Recapitulate
EDII’s Contribution to Women
Entrepreneurship under Corporate
Partnerships
Talking about the significance of Sustainable Development Goals, the fifth goal especially
draws our attention, for it says, ‘Achieve Gender Equality and Empower all girls and
women.’ Under its CSR partnerships, EDII experiments with various models, perspectives
and strategies to evolve a curriculum that renders self-sufficiency and economic & social
empowerment to women. These are ongoing initiatives. Let us delve into some of these
undertaken over the last one year:
Project RISE, supported by Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI), focuses on
Technology-Based Entrepreneurship among women. During the financial year 2025–26,
1,277 women were trained, leading to establishment of 252 women-owned enterprises,
including 58 group enterprises and 194 individual enterprises. Through EDII-supported
market linkage initiatives including exhibitions, wholesale channels and institutional
markets access—women entrepreneurs notched approximately Rs. 2.4 Crore in sales
during the year.
Project Sankalp, supported by Standard Chartered Bank, focuses on building the skills and
entrepreneurial capabilities of rural women in selected 10 locations of Karnataka and
Tamil Nadu states through Skill-based Entrepreneurship Development Programmes.
Under the project, 726 women entrepreneurs successfully completed skill-based training.
The initiative facilitated 235 Udyam registrations, formation of 49 women Self-Help
Groups (SHGs) and 294 FSSAI registrations, ensuring compliance and formal recognition.
Additionally, 420 women entrepreneurs received post-training handholding and
enterprise support through WeAct.
42
Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India Reports 136
While EDII has put several artisanal clusters on a high growth path by addressing them
through the cluster approach, it is commendable how even corporates are today
committed to uplifting the weavers of India. The three-year project, HandMade in India,
supported by HSBC and implemented by EDII, has promoted, skills and competencies
among 1550 weavers, across regions of Bhuj, Gujarat and Erode, Tamil Nadu. From 596
women artisans and weavers reached out till date, last year 393 women developed
capabilities in design, networking, innovation and credit management, which reflected in
their productivity, brand development and revenues. This led to establishment of 82
women owned enterprises.
Project Skills to Succeed - Micro Skillpreneurship Development Programme (MSDP),
supported by Accenture Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is mandated to empower rural youth & women
by providing skill & Enterprise creation training through sustainable technology and
business models. Women have notably benefitted by livelihood creation, employment
generation, asset creation and revenue generation on a sustainable basis. The project is
being implemented in selected regions in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Karnataka,
Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh
and Uttarakhand. In the last one year, the project ensured training to 8066 women,
resulting in the creation of 3207 women-owned enterprises. Collectively, the beneficiaries
availed loans worth Rs. 34.16 lakh.
Women entrepreneur trained
under Project Skills to Succeed
- Micro Skillpreneurship
Development Programme
( M S D P ) , s u p p o r t e d b y
Accenture Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Another Accenture Pvt. Ltd. supported initiative, the Women Entrepreneurs Access
Connect Transform (WeAct) provides EDII trained women entrepreneurs with platforms
for market access, business growth and peer learning. Among other activities, WeAct
members participated more than 21 Vocal for Local exhibitions across Bihar, Gujarat,
Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil
Nadu and Assam. Over 1500 WeAct members participated, reaching out to a huge and
diverse client base and recording a total approximate sale of more than Rs. 7 Lakh.
43