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Small numbers, giant leaps: women entrepreneurs diversify into 'new' areas

From pickles and papads to chemicals, computers, energy and electronics. The perceptible shift from the traditional service sector to modern and technologically improved industries has brightened prospects for the Indian woman entrepreneur.

In recent years, women have not confined themselves to the organised sectors like agriculture, agro-based industry, handicrafts and handloom but have taken to business ventures like trading, exports, electronics and pharmaceuticals.

However, in spite of this positive trend, women constitute only seven per cent of the total entrepreneurs in the country, thus highlighting the urgency for evolving more programmes and incentives promoting self-employment among women.

According to a paper prepared by the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat account for 4,776 women entrepreneurs. While 25.53 per cent of the women are engaged in food processing, 16.11 per cent run chemical units and 14.51 own textile and garment units.

As much as 9.41 per cent of the women entrepreneurs were found to have opted for difficult and challenging ventures in the engineering and mechanical sector. Interestingly, about five per cent of them run plastic and rubber units, says the paper.

With a vast-changing economic policy, there is a need to generate new ideas in relation to products which could be sustainable in the market. However, some major hurdles prevent women from gaining access to programmes created for their benefit. These include lack of awareness in setting up an enterprise, lack of finance and management skill or available technology which is ''user friendly'', lack of coordination of the support agencies and traditional customs which prevent women from taking up entrepreneurship, says the paper.

It points out that in spite of various schemes of the nationalised bank, especially applicable to women entrepreneurs, women still find it difficult to get funds from them. The paper was presented at a recent workshop organised in the capital by the ministry of labour on ''women's vocational training programme''.

The Industrial Development Bank of India, one of the leading promoters of entrepreneurship development in the country, has launched a special scheme for women entrepreneurs. The scheme emphasises the need to set up modern small-scale units in electronics, engineering, plastics and chemicals consistent with the knowledge, skill and personal background of the trainees. Financial assistance is also extended to enable them to set up industrial units in the small-scale sector, says the paper.

The role of non-governmental organisations in assisting women entrepreneurs is also highlighted. As NGOs are actively involved in the development field they can strengthen micro enterprise development in the rural areas.

There is also urgent need for skill development organisations to coordinate with entrepreneurship development agencies. The existing agencies are doing commendable work in their individual capacities but they need to network within themselves for effective development intervention, it says.

UNI