While Maharashtra is India’s most industrialised state, it has a poor women participation rate of 9 per cent in the MSME sector. The industries policy for women, to be in force for the coming five years, is aimed at increasing this to 20 per cent in the state. The expenditure should be viewed as an investment to boost industrial investment and financially empower women.” Women self-help groups can avail these incentives, but they would have to register as a company under the Companies Act, Kamble said. In line with the government’s overall industrial policy, the policy for women also aims at giving a push to investments in industrially backward belts. Besides, the Women and Child Development department will set up a venture capital of Rs 50 crore for financing women entrepreneurs.

Source: Indian Express December 05, 2017 20:59 UTC