The Government of India is strengthening rural entrepreneurship and livelihood opportunities through the ASPIRE scheme, implemented by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
A Scheme for Promotion of Innovation, Rural Industry, and Entrepreneurship (ASPIRE) focuses on building an enabling ecosystem for job creation through skill development, incubation support and assistance to micro-enterprises in rural areas. As of now, 109 livelihood business incubators have been approved across the country.
Under the scheme, 1,16,726 beneficiaries have received training. Of these, 18,444 individuals have become self-employed, 13,824 have secured wage employment and 1,141 micro-enterprises have been established, highlighting the programme’s role in employment generation.
Since 2022, the ministry has begun collecting category-wise and gender-wise data. During this period, 56,721 beneficiaries were trained, including 27,970 women. The data also shows participation from 8,365 beneficiaries belonging to the Scheduled Caste category and 9,311 from the Scheduled Tribe category.
In addition to ASPIRE, the Ministry of MSME is implementing several initiatives to promote women and SC-ST entrepreneurs. Outreach programmes are conducted through field offices in coordination with state and union territory MSME departments, financial institutions, banks and industry associations.
The ministry also runs the National Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Hub Scheme to enhance the capacity of SC-ST entrepreneurs. Vendor Development Programmes for SC-ST and women entrepreneurs are organised under the Public Procurement framework, with participation from central public sector undertakings.
To further empower women entrepreneurs, the MSME ministry launched the Yashasvini Campaign in June 2024, focusing on formalisation, access to credit, capacity building and mentorship through awareness of government schemes.
In the Union Budget 2025, a new scheme was announced to provide term loans of up to ₹2 crore to women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe first-time entrepreneurs, supporting the growth and development of MSMEs.
The Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme continues to play a key role in promoting self-employment through micro-enterprises in the non-farm sector. Women account for 39 per cent of PMEGP beneficiaries and receive higher subsidy support compared to the general category.
The MSME Champions Scheme is also being implemented to modernise enterprises, improve competitiveness and support national and global market access. Additionally, 65 Export Facilitation Centres have been established across India to provide mentoring and handholding support to MSMEs in exporting goods and services.
Together, these initiatives underline the government’s focus on inclusive growth, rural development and strengthening India’s MSME ecosystem.
