Udyogini is a scheme run by the Women Development Corporation that provides loans to budding women entrepreneurs from rural and impoverished areas. The program’s goal is to encourage women’s entrepreneurship, financial empowerment, and self-sufficiency by providing financial assistance. The Udyogini scheme also intends to create micro-enterprises that will help the economy flourish overall.
This programme supports and motivates female entrepreneurship among the underprivileged by providing financial assistance to women who want to start a business. This programme funds and assists women in rural and underserved communities. Udyogini Schemes serve to increase an individual’s and family’s income while also contributing to the overall growth of the country.
Women from all walks of life are granted interest-free loans without discrimination or bias. Banks also provide interest-free loans to female farm businesses.
Objectives
The scheme’s primary goals are as follows:
- Encouragement of women to obtain loans from banks and other financial organisations in order to engage in income-generating activities
- Reduce the cost of financial assistance for women from the SC/ST or special category.
- To make interest-free loans to qualified female beneficiaries without discrimination or bias.
- Through EDP Training, ensure the skill development of women beneficiaries.
- Prevent women from seeking loans with exorbitant interest rates from private money lenders or other financial organisations.
Features
High-value loan amount
Under the Udyogini plan, some applicants may be eligible for a loan of Rs.3 lakh. To use the money, however, qualified candidates must meet the qualifying criteria.
Interest-free loan
The scheme’s principal goal is to provide financial support to women who are starting small enterprises. Women from particular categories, such as the impoverished, widows, and the favoured disabled, are more liberally funded by financial institutions. Under the initiative, women in certain categories are eligible for interest-free loans.
The scheme covers 88 small industries
Eighty-eight small size industries can benefit from loan benefits under the scheme. The programme also offers interest-free financing to female agricultural entrepreneurs.
Women’s skill development training
The scheme also provides functional skills to women in the areas of business planning, feasibility, pricing, costing, and other financial assistance.
Loan subsidy of up to 30%
This scheme makes loan repayment more affordable for women by giving a loan subsidy of up to 30%.
Functions
- Karnataka State Women’s Development Corporation (KSWDC), Punjab and Sind Bank, Saraswat Bank, and a few more private and public sector institutions are now offering the scheme.
- Loans with no interest to qualified women entrepreneurs in agribusiness, retail, and small business.
- Before the loan is released, the beneficiary ladies receive EDP training for three days following loan approval.
Eligibility criteria
- The applicant must be a female.
- She should be between the ages of 18 and 55.
- The applicant’s annual family income should be less than Rs.1.5 lakh.
- There is no upper-income restriction for women who fall into specific categories such as disabled, widowed, or poor.
- Businesses in the SSI sector, merchants, manufacturers, self-employed professionals, traders, and others can benefit from this programme.
Documents required
- Application Form duly completed
- Photographs in passport size
- Birth Certificate
- Aadhaar Card
- Below Poverty Line (BPL)
- Card Caste Certificate
- Bank passbook copy (account, bank and branch names, holder name, IFSC and MICR)
- Certificate of Income