The Government’s public policy think tank launched the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), a first-of-its-kind unified portal that brings together women from diverse backgrounds and offers them access to a multitude of resources, support, and learning.
(Image: niti.gov.in)
As per the Sixth Economic Census, women constitute only 13.76 per cent of India’s total entrepreneurs, i.e. 8.05 million out of 58.5 million entrepreneurs. Niti Aayog partnered with the private sector to change this picture four years ago.
The Government’s public policy think tank launched the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), a first-of-its-kind unified portal that brings together women from diverse backgrounds and offers them access to a multitude of resources, support, and learning.
The platform currently hosts over 16,000 registered users and 30 partners and caters to six focus areas: Funding & Financial Management, Incubation Connects, Taxation & Compliance Support, Entrepreneur Skilling & Mentorship, Community & Networking and Marketing Assistance.
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Building on the experience, Niti Aayog on Thursday launched the next phase of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) titled “WEP Nxt”. WEP will partner with Cisco, a worldwide leader in technology that powers the Internet, for this phase, and gain from its working with India’s startup ecosystem.
WEP Nxt is based on a focused study of Indian women entrepreneurs and their most urgent needs across key areas. It is aimed at bridging existing gaps and forging new possibilities for women in India.
“I am confident as the Government of India and private sector hold hands through initiatives such as the WEP, we will realise this vision of a new India – where men and women have the equal opportunity to build and to share in the glory of achievement,” said Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, at the WEP Nxt launch.
“As we enter a new phase of recovery, we see a collective agreement that a diverse, inclusive, and digitally-enabled world is far more prosperous,” said Cisco Chief Operating Officer Maria Martinez.
According to the WEP focused study, in addition to greater innovation, up to 170 million jobs could be created by 2030, and India’s annual GDP could rise by 1.5 per cent if more women took up entrepreneurship.
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