Online Portal 'Udayam Sakhis’ to mentor budding women entrepreneurs

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) launched a portal for women entrepreneurs of India: www.udyamsakhi.org. The portal was unveiled by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of MSME, Giriraj Singh, in a program on Thursday at the Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

The Minister said that India has around 8 million women who have started and are running their own businesses and the Ministry of MSME believes that the women in India can play a vital role in the growth of the Indian economy. “While there are some mentorship networks already available for entrepreneurs and start-ups, our Udyam Sakhi initiative is based on the belief that women are more comfortable and at ease when they are hand-held by other women. The level of trust is higher and there is more seamless sharing,” an official from the MSME Ministry told BusinessLine.

The mentors, who would be extending their services on a voluntary basis, could be social entrepreneurs, senior executives, retired businesswomen, former bank officials or members of non-profit organisations, the official explained.

The official said, “The mentors or Udyam Sakhis should have the will to share voluntarily their knowledge with other women and help them create value through entrepreneurship. Of course, the Ministry would provide basic minimum resources so that they don’t end up spending from their own pockets.”

The website www.udyamsakhi.org is already operational, although the Ministry insists that it is in its basic avatar.

The official added once the portal is formally launched by the Minister of MSME Giriraj Singh on Thursday, women would be urged to register on it so that a network of mentors and future entrepreneurs could be created. “What we are creating is a basic platform. We expect the Udyam Sakhis to come and help the portal to evolve.”