WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN INDIA: EVALUATING THE REACH, IMPACT AND GAPS IN GOVERNMENT POLICY FRAMEWORKS

Women entrepreneurship has emerged as a critical driver of inclusive economic growth in India.

Despite a plethora of government policy frameworks — including the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana

(PMMY), Stand-Up India Scheme, TREAD, Stree Shakti Package and the NITI Aayog Women

Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) — the participation of women in formal entrepreneurial activity

remains significantly below potential. This study critically evaluates the reach, impact and gaps in

government policy frameworks designed to promote women entrepreneurship in India. Employing a

mixed-methods approach with a sample size of 120 women entrepreneurs drawn from urban and semiurban locations across three Indian states, the study combines structured questionnaire-based primary

data with secondary data analysis of government reports and academic literature. Findings reveal that while awareness of schemes such as PMMY is relatively high (63.3%), actual utilisation rates remain low (41.7%), primarily due to procedural barriers, collateral requirements, lack of financial literacy and gender-based discrimination in credit access. The study concludes with policy recommendations for improving design, implementation and outreach of women entrepreneurship support mechanisms.