The inaugural session of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) – NITI Aayog State Workshop Series on Empowering Women-led Development through Entrepreneurship took place at the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) Auditorium in Goa on October 3, 2023. Organized in collaboration with the Government of Goa, this workshop focused on the western region of the country.
With over 500 participants, including women entrepreneurs, local self-help groups (SHGs) and clusters, government officials, industry representatives, incubators/accelerators, financial institutions, and philanthropic foundations, the workshop aimed to explore a hub-and-spoke model for extending women-led development to grassroots levels. Distinguished guests, including Dr. Pramod Sawant, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa, Dr. V. K. Saraswat, Member of NITI Aayog, and Shri B.V.R Subramanyam, CEO of NITI Aayog, graced the occasion.
Dr. Pramod Sawant highlighted the collaboration between Goa and NITI Aayog for the preparation of the Goa State Vision 2047. He also emphasized the importance of women in socio-economic progress and announced the launch of the Swayampurna e-bazaar during Dussehra to enhance market access through Common Service Centres. Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member of NITI Aayog, emphasized the role of states in driving the nation’s growth, focusing on maintaining the employment-to-education ratio, promoting women’s entrepreneurship, and restructuring the workforce.
B. V. R. Subrahmanyam, CEO of NITI Aayog, reiterated the central government’s commitment to women-led development. He encouraged states to establish institutions or departments dedicated to planning and thinking about the future, with a primary focus on women-led development.
Several new collaborations were announced to support women entrepreneurs during the workshop. Notable partnerships included one between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and NITI Aayog, the launch of Udyam Uplift by CAxpert to enhance compliance among women-led businesses, and the initiation of the first two cohorts under WEP’s Award to Reward (ATR) initiative. The first ATR cohort, WEP-Unnati, led by Microsave Consulting and SIDBI, is open for applications from green entrepreneurs nationwide. The second cohort, WeNurture, will be led by the Atal Incubation Centre at the Goa Institute of Management.