MMSY instilling self-belief in Himachali women, 1969 units set up in the state by women entrepreneurs under the scheme
Women are an integral part of the society and no one can imagine a progressive society without them. Today, women have stepped out of the home and taken the leap towards entrepreneurship. Now, women have not only made their mark in the traditional fields like Banking, Education but they have also registered their strong presence in the challenging field like entrepreneurship.
The Mukhyamantri Swavalamban Yojna (MMSY) launched by the state government is playing a pivotal role in fulfilling dreams of many aspiring women entrepreneurs. With the financial help available under MMSY, women of the state today are moving ahead by establishing their own industrial units. The scheme has strengthened their economic status and also providing employment opportunities to the youth of the state.
MMSY is paving the path for women to adopt entrepreneurship and making them more confident. Under the scheme, a subsidy of 25 percent is being provided to male aspirants for setting up projects up to rupees one crore, while for women, it has been increased from 30 to 35 percent on the same amount. Under the scheme, interest subvention is provided at the rate of 5 percent for three years. Men in the age group of 18 to 45 years and women in the age group of 18 to 50 years are eligible. The government has given 5 years relaxation to women under this scheme besides increasing the subsidy rate.
By giving impetus for promoting entrepreneurship, till now 4,377 units have been established in the state under this scheme and Rs. 200 crore has been spent on subsidy component. A total of 6,927 applications have been approved by the banks in the state. This innovative scheme has given wings to the dreams of 1969 women throughout the state. So far, 273 women of Kangra, 236 of Solan, 215 of Una, 209 of Mandi, 200 women of Sirmaur, 194 of Hamirpur, 184 of Shimla, 171 of Bilaspur, 152 of Kullu, 61 of Chamba, 48 of Kinnaur and 26 women of Lahaul-Spiti have been benefitted under the scheme.
This scheme is also promoting social entrepreneurship by promoting low cost local products and services. Keeping in view the positive outcomes of MMSY, the state government has expanded the ambit of this scheme by including new categories in the year 2021. These include dairy, agro-based tourism, agricultural equipment manufacturing, vegetable nursery, petrol pump, electric vehicle charging station, ambulance service and silk