MoRD and Kudumbashree Host National Workshop on Rural Enterprise Incubators

The Union Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), in collaboration with the Kerala State Rural Livelihood Mission (Kudumbashree), organised a two-day National Workshop on Rural Enterprise Incubators under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The workshop, held this week, brought together policymakers, state officials, academic institutions, social enterprises, and grassroots leaders to chart the way forward for women-led rural entrepreneurship.

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Through Incubators

In his virtual inaugural address, Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, MoRD, highlighted the incubator programme’s role in enabling women-led enterprises. He noted that DAY-NRLM has mobilised over 10 crore women into 90 lakh Self-Help Groups (SHGs), many of whom have emerged as first-generation entrepreneurs.

Citing successful pilot initiatives in Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, and Karnataka, the Secretary pointed out that several states—including Kerala, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh—are now scaling up incubation programmes with the support of leading academic institutions.

Kerala’s Commitment to Women-Led Enterprises

Kerala’s Minister for Local Self-Government, Shri M.B. Rajesh, addressed the gathering and reaffirmed the state’s commitment to supporting women-led entrepreneurship through Kudumbashree. He expressed confidence that the workshop would foster collaboration, innovation, and practical strategies to strengthen rural enterprise ecosystems across the country.

Scaling to a National Platform

Delivering a message on behalf of MoRD, Ms. Swati Sharma, Joint Secretary (Rural Livelihoods), emphasised the Ministry’s vision of scaling the incubator initiative into a national platform for women-led rural entrepreneurship. She said the workshop would provide actionable strategies and strong partnerships, ensuring long-term success in line with the Government’s vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047.

Insights from MoRD and Kudumbashree

Ms. Rajeshwari S.M, Director (Rural Livelihoods), MoRD, gave a detailed presentation on DAY-NRLM and the incubator programme, explaining how the initiative is designed to provide women entrepreneurs with structured mentoring, financial support, and market access.

Kudumbashree’s Executive Director, Shri H. Dineshan, welcomed the participants, while Dr. Bidyut C. Dekha, Vice Chancellor of Assam Agricultural University, delivered the felicitation address. C. Naveen, Chief Operating Officer of Kudumbashree, proposed the vote of thanks.

Workshop Themes and Deliberations

The two-day workshop featured intensive panel discussions on key enablers of rural enterprise incubation, including:

• Mentoring and capacity building for SHG-led businesses.

• Access to finance and credit for scaling enterprises.

• Technology adoption for productivity and competitiveness.

• Market linkages and branding for rural products.

• Convergence with government and private sector initiatives to strengthen support systems.

Experts from academia, industry, and social enterprise networks contributed insights to shape the future of enterprise incubation in rural India.

Towards Inclusive Growth and Viksit Bharat @ 2047

The workshop is expected to create an enabling environment for incubated enterprises to thrive, while also providing a scalable framework for replication across states. By focusing on women’s entrepreneurship, livelihood diversification, and institutional partnerships, the initiative directly supports India’s long-term development vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047.