If 20 PC more women join labour force, GDP will go up by more than USD 1 trillion: NSDC

The not-for-profit public limited company has partnered with Britannia Marie Gold to train 10,000 homemakers across the country in entrepreneurial skills. This is positioned as India’s first skill development programme customised for women who aspire to have businesses of their own.

“Skilling initiatives for women, especially focused on entrepreneurship and gig economy are the need of the hour given that 229.2 million women, out of the 301.5 million who are not in labour force, state their status as ‘attending domestic duties’ and innovative approaches that create economic opportunities for them without conflicting social needs will be a win-win solution for all,” Kumar stated at the launch of Britannia Marie Gold’s initiative ‘My Start-up’ here.

Under the FMCG brand’s new campaign, homemakers are invited to pitch business ideas. Ten thousand women will be chosen to participate in an online certification course between April and June conducted by NSDC.

Vinay Subramanyam, Head of Marketing, Britannia Industries Ltd, said, “Last year, when we conducted the programme on a smaller scale, we received 1.5 lakh entries. Of them, 10 women homemakers with the best entrepreneurial ideas were given a seed capital of Rs 10 lakh each.” He added that the insights gained in the first season in 2019 encouraged the brand to add skill development as a core delivery in the second season.

“This year, we have increased the scale of the initiative manifold. Also, data from a nationwide survey we conducted pointed out that skill development was a crucial need along with finances. Our aim is to facilitate micro-entrepreneurship among women,” he added.

“The primary goal is to train women on key functional skills to boost their confidence at the start of their entrepreneurial journey,” said Subramanyam.