Women Entrepreneurs Gain Rs 3,000 Cr Market Access Through GeM

Women entrepreneurs in India are receiving substantial support through government initiatives aimed at enhancing market access and financial assistance. The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has facilitated the procurement of goods and services worth Rs 3,000 crore from women entrepreneurs for various government departments.

The GeM portal, which serves as a procurement platform for public sector undertakings (PSUs) and government departments, has mandated that 25 percent of its procurement be sourced from Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Notably, three percent of this quota is reserved for MSMEs run by women, presenting a Rs 3,000 crore business opportunity for women-led enterprises.

Anil Bharadwaj, Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME), emphasized the significance of this platform, stating, “Registered MSMEs run by women entrepreneurs have to register with the GeM portal and provide the details of the goods manufactured and services provided by them. This is for the procurement by the central government. Several state governments also provide similar facilities to women entrepreneurs.”

In addition to market access, women entrepreneurs benefit from various financial assistance schemes. The Stand-Up India scheme extends loans of up to Rs 2 crore to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and women entrepreneurs without requiring collateral. This initiative is expected to benefit five lakh entrepreneurs, with banks offering loans to women who have formally registered their ventures as MSMEs.

Further, the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) enables new women entrepreneurs to secure bank credit without collateral or third-party guarantees for setting up micro or small enterprises. Under this scheme, women can avail up to 90 percent of a Rs 5 lakh loan.