Issues and challenges of Indian women in Global era Prof.

Alekha Chandra Panda Abstract: Since ages India has been men-dominated country. But, time is changing now. Women in India have outraged the fact that since hundreds of years they had been following the orders of men. They now know their rights and duties and with the spreading awareness amongst the women they are now no less then the men. They are walking with men at the same pace in each and every field. Following this latest trend, women are no less and backward any more. Many women have established their own economy i.e., entrepreneurial empire and are now ruling their world as they wished to. The hidden entrepreneurial potentials of women have gradually been changing with the growing sensitivity to the role and economic status in the society. Skill, knowledge and adaptability in business are the main reasons for women to emerge into business ventures The growing economic power and influence of women-owned businesses are changing the shape of the Indian economy. India is brimming with the success stories of women entrepreneurs. They stand tall from the rest of the crowd and are applauded for their achievements in their respective Field. This paper focuses on woman entrepreneur. Any understanding of woman in global scene and especially in India, also the paper talks about the status of woman entrepreneurs and the problems faced by them when they set up and managed their own businesses in the competitive world of business environment. Key words: Entrepreneurship development, Women entrepreneurs, economic growth, India INRODUCTION: The role of Indian women has undergone dramatic and drastic changes from era to era, while with the eras themselves there have existed simultaneous contradictions, this in itself has created problems for contemporary women in experiencing a continuity of their identity within the society. Today the educated women do not want to limit their lives in the four walls of the house. They demand equal respect from their partners. However, Indian women have to go a long way to achieve equal rights and position because traditions are deep rooted in Indian society. Despite all the social hurdles, many women have become successful in their works. These successful women have made name & wealth for themselves with their hard work, diligence, competence and will power India is brimming with the success stories of women entrepreneurs. They stand tall from the rest of the crowd and are applauded for their achievements in their respective field. These women leaders are assertive, persuasive and willing to take risks. They managed to survive and succeed in this cut throat competition with their hard work, diligence and perseverance. Ability to learn quickly from her abilities, her

persuasiveness, open style of problem solving, willingness to take risks and chances, ability to motivate people, knowing how to win and lose gracefully are the of the Indian women entrepreneurs. OVERVIEW: Entrepreneurship is a difficult task, which is fraught with struggle and taking risk. Even though the challenges for becoming an entrepreneur for man and women are same, women have a distinct set of factors that first impede their entry as entrepreneur and survival as successful business women. Women Entrepreneurs may be defined as the women or a group of women who initiate, organize and operate a business enterprise. Government of India has defined women entrepreneurs as an enterprise owned and controlled by a women having a minimum financial interest of 51% of the capital and giving at least 51% of employment generated in the enterprise to women. Like a male entrepreneurs a women entrepreneur has many functions. They should explore the prospects of starting new enterprise; undertake risks, introduction of new innovations, coordination administration and control of business and providing effective leadership in all aspects of business. Women in business are a recent phenomenon in India. By and large they had confide themselves to petty business and tiny cottage industries. Women entrepreneurs engaged in business due to push and pull factors. Which encourage women to have an independent occupation and stands on their on legs A sense towards independent decision-making on their life and career is the motivational factor behind this urge. Saddled with household chores and domestic responsibilities women want to get independence under the influence of these factors the women entrepreneurs choose a profession as a challenge and as an urge to do some thing new. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: The main objective of the study is to investigate the issues and challenges faced by Womans entrepreneurs in India. Womans entrepreneurship has been recognized during the last decade as an important untapped source of economic growth but they are neglected both in society in general and in the social sciences and to study various Government policies and programs for the development of the Women entrepreneurship. LITERATURE REVIEW: There are approximately 1,013,000 self-employed women (7.6% of women in employment) and 2,706,000 self-employed men (17.4% of men in employment) in the UK. Survey evidence indicates that businesses that are wholly or majority femaleowned account for between 12.3% - 16.5% of the UK business stock. A large proportion of female entrepreneurial activity takes place in businesses that are coowned equally by men and women. If the definition of womens enterprise included co-owned businesses (an approach often used by US researchers), it is estimated that between 34.1% - 41.2% of the UK small business stock is either owned or co-owned by women. (Carter et al., 2006)

Support for women entrepreneurs in the Czech Republic has become apparent in recent years. The SME support programmes, open to both genders, from the Ministry of Industry and Trade made 2,584 grants to women entrepreneurs, i.e. 17.1 % of the total grants awarded. This represented financial aid of 9 million Euros to Czech business women, i.e. 5.7% of the total financial support available. Women entrepreneurs also owned 11% of the Limited companies which obtained grants. (Women Entrepreneurs, 2001 There are more than 821 000 women entrepreneurs and they contribute to an excess of CAD 18 109 billion to the economy annually. Between 1981 and 2001, the number of women entrepreneurs increased 208%, compared with a 38% increase for men. Average annual sales for women owned firms are significantly lower. In 2000, women-owned SMEs averaged CAD 311 289 in sales, compared with 654 294 in sales for firms owned by men (Sarmite and Bulte, 2003) the total entrepreneurial activity rate for men is 8.1% compared to 4.9% for women. Men are 1.7 times more likely to be involved in entrepreneurial activity than women. This is slightly higher than the corresponding global average for 2002 of 1.6 times more. The overall difference between entrepreneurial activity rates of men and women in South Africa is largely due to the much higher opportunity entrepreneurial activity rates amongst men. Men are twice more likely to be involved in opportunity entrepreneurship than women. (Hendricks, Lindiwe, 2005) Women are inferior to man: weak, passive, less intelligent and less capable (Akhouri, 1988), such a value system has suppressed their independent thinking and action to a great degree. The absence of basic literacy and innumeracy skills are the major barriers to the establishment of successful enterprise, and lack of proper education and training makes huge gapes in womens knowledge and skills (Howarth, 1990) Caste/Community restriction and traditions compound the problems for the womens, for instance Muslim women have to follow the purdan systems which contributes as a major factor in preventing them from engaging in profitable activities (Kumari, 1995) In a study conducted in UP, 92% of the women entrepreneurs sampled claimed to face Professional disrespect by virtue of their gender. This finding has been reinforced in another study which found that it is difficult to come with the attitudes and behaviour of lower level staff who simple refused to accept women in the role of entrepreneurs (Shah, 1991) A study on female entrepreneurship has highlighted womens lack of confidence and assertiveness (Mc Coll, 1989) A significant factor preventing women from being self-employed is their perception of themselves which is still dominated by traditional gender stereotypes (Bradley, 1989) The decision to start an enterprise is influenced by a host of factors, the first of which is initiative, Usually women are discouraged from starting a venture since there are not others who are like them (Iyer, 1993)

The discouragement from the home, coupled with opposition from society at large crate emotional barriers (Choudhary 1995). There is lack of family support to women entrepreneurs and also access to peer support; this is confirmed by (Easwaran, 1992). A comparative study of male and female entrepreneurs in up (Iyer, 1995) came up with the extreme finding that 95% of the female entrepreneurs face Family problems in the start-up phase, as compared to only 16% males Women entrepreneurs lack systematic planning, particularly at the time of project preparation (Singh, 1992) Complicated banking procedures, like collateral, and the attitudes of banker force women entrepreneurs to plan on non institutional source of credit such as family, friends and money lenders (Iyer, 1991) Women entrepreneurs are technical ignorant, besides lack of technical know how about running the unit, inadequate technology evaluation, lack of specialized skills to work on specific projects (Singh 1992) It was found that women are unable to get things done quickly in the planning and implementation stage of her enterprise (Shah, 1991) A study of women entrepreneurs in Karnataka revealed that the attitude of government officials was least of the problems faced by women in setting up and managing their enterprise (Padaki, 1994) While the government has initiated various policies and schemes targeted at women, often the implementation leaves much to be desired and those women who do participate, do so only to fulfil pre-determined targets, as beneficiaries on paper (World Bank, 1991) The problem of inadequate flow of information on commercial, technical and training matter to the bulk of the population of women (Malhotra, 1988). The authorities providing clearances, are male dominated and not supportive of women entrepreneurs. In general, women have less access to finance and financial support than man (Howarth, 1992). There is a gender bias and a general distrust towards the credit worthiness of women. Banks emphasize collateral guarantees, as the primary determinant for credit rating, rather than viability of the project. Lack of inheritance rights leaves women with little hope for providing collateral (Choudhary, 1995). Studies reveals that even amongst successful business women, one in every five face problems related to marketing. (Singh et al, 1986) Mali (1992) profiling entrepreneurs in the North east region found that women entrepreneurs face the problems related to finance in the form of delays in sanction and distribution of loans by the banks/financial institutions. Reasons Women Become Entrepreneurs:

Many studies indicate that women start businesses for fundamentally different reasons than their male counterparts. While men start businesses primarily for growth opportunities and profit potential, women most often found businesses in order to meet personal goals, such as gaining feelings of achievement and accomplishment. In many instances, women consider financial success as an external confirmation of their ability rather than as a primary goal or motivation to start a business, although millions of women entrepreneurs will grant that financial profitability is important in its own right. Women also tend to start businesses about ten years later then men, on average. Motherhood, lack of management experience, and traditional socialization has all been cited as reasons for delayed entry into entrepreneurial careers. In fact, over 30 percent of women entrepreneurs reported that they started a business due to some traumatic event, such as divorce, discrimination due to pregnancy or the corporate glass ceiling, the health of a family member, or economic reasons such as a layoff. But a new talent pool of women entrepreneurs is forming today, as more women opt to leave corporate America to chart their own destinies. Many of these women have developed financial expertise and bring experience in manufacturing or non-traditional fields. As a result, the concentration of women business owners in the retail and service sectorsand in traditional industries such as cosmetics, food, fashion, and personal careis slowly changing. The Importance of Women Entrepreneurs: Women entrepreneurs encounters only one third of all entrepreneurs. And as half the population on this planet is women there is an unnatural gap between genders. There is thus potential to enhance the level of women entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs have a massive potential which are yet to be unleashed. Not only due to the gender gap, but also because women bring in diversity to the innovation process. More women will provide per se entrepreneurs with a more diverse perspective. Solutions to market inequalities are not solved just by male entrepreneurs with male thinking innovation. Now women also brings in solutions to market inequalities and their innovations may not be alike those of the man. Thus women entrepreneurship is to be seen as part of the diversity question. One good example here relates to user driven innovation. Where consumer needs are the key driver for innovation. In order to produce user driven innovation the agent needs to adapt the need from the consumer. The results of that are bound to be different whereas the agents are a man or a woman Women entrepreneurs can possibly lead to another kind of innovation. Women entrepreneurs are mainly employed in the service sector that is tourism, ICT, health, social services etc. A common factor is the great potential of these sectors. Together with creative and new ways of thinking innovation, involving the consumer and the gender gap the potential in promoting women entrepreneurs are obvious. Women entrepreneurship receives a great deal of attention in developed countries. They conclude that among other changing mindsets, adapt policies to allow better family life and work balance by using specific instruments like tax regulation, allowances, leave provision etc. will promote women entrepreneurship. (Dawad, 2007). Problems faced by Women Entrepreneur in India Women entrepreneurs face a series of problems right from the beginning till the enterprise functions. Being a woman itself poses various problems to a woman

entrepreneur, the problems of Indian women pertain to her responsibility towards family, society and lion work. Throughout history, women have been responsible for both the internal and external affairs of their families. Their efforts have helped to keep society bound together to the extent that it has been. This took place even though women were not accorded equal rights as men and had much fewer opportunities to receive education. Indeed, education was often considered to be an impediment to a girl obtaining a good husband and family, which was considered to be her principal goal in life The tradition, customs, socio cultural values, ethics, motherhood subordinates to ling husband and men, physically weak, hard work areas, feeling of insecurity, cannot be tough etc are some peculiar problems that the Indian women are coming across while they jump into entrepreneurship. Women in rural areas have to suffer still further. They face tough resistance from men. They are considered as helpers. The attitude of society towards her and constraints in which she has to live and work are not very conducive. Besides the above basic problems the other problems faced by women entrepreneurs are as follows: 1. Family ties: Women in India are very emotionally attached to their families. They are supposed to attend to all the domestic work, to look after the children and other members of the family. They are over burden with family responsibilities like extra attention to husband, children and in laws which take away a lots of their time and energy. In such situation, it will be very difficult to concentrate and run the enterprise successfully. 2. Male dominated society: Even though our constitution speaks of equality between sexes, male chauvinism is still the order of the day. Women are not treated equal to men. Their entry to business requires the approval of the head of the family. Entrepreneurship has traditionally been seen as a male preserve. All these puts a break in the growth of women entrepreneurs. 3. Lack of education: Women in India are lagging far behind in the field of education. Most of the women (around sixty per cent of total women) are illiterate. Those who are educated are provided either less or inadequate education than their male counterpart partly due to early marriage, partly due to son's higher education and partly due to poverty. Due to lack of proper education, women entrepreneurs remain in dark about the development of new technology, new methods of production, marketing and other governmental support which will encourage them to flourish. 4. Social barriers: The traditions and customs prevailed in Indian societies towards women sometimes stand as an obstacle before them to grow and prosper. Castes and religions dominate with one another and hinders women entrepreneurs too. In rural areas, they face more social barriers. They are always seen with suspicious eyes.

5. Shortage of raw materials: The scarcity of raw materials, sometimes nor, availability of proper and adequate raw materials sounds the death-knell of the enterprises run by women entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs really face a tough task in getting the required raw material and other necessary inputs for the enterprises when the prices are very high. 6. Problem of finance: Women entrepreneurs stiffer a lot in raising and meeting the financial needs of the business. Bankers, creditors and financial institutes are not coming forward to provide financial assistance to women borrowers on the ground of their less credit worthiness and more chances of business failure. They also face financial problem due to blockage of funds in raw materials, work-in-progress finished goods and non-receipt of payment from customers in time. 7. Tough competition: Usually women entrepreneurs employ low technology in the process of production. In a market where the competition is too high, they have to fight hard to survive in the market against the organised sector and their male counterpart who have vast experience and capacity to adopt advanced technology in managing enterprises 8. High cost of production: Several factors including inefficient management contribute to the high cost of production which stands as a stumbling block before women entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs face technology obsolescence due to non-adoption or slow adoption to changing technology which is a major factor of high cost of production. 9.Low risk-bearing capacity: Women in India are by nature weak, shy and mild. They cannot bear the amount risk which is essential for running an enterprise. Lack of education, training and financial support from outsides also reduce their ability to bear the risk involved in an enterprises. 10 Limited mobility: Women mobility in India is highly limited and has become a problem due to traditional values and inability to drive vehicles. Moving alone and asking for a room to stay out in the night for business purposes are still looked upon with suspicious eyes. Sometimes, younger women feel uncomfortable in dealing with men who show extra interest in them than work related aspects. 11. Lack of entrepreneurial aptitude: Lack of entrepreneurial aptitude is a matter of concern for women entrepreneurs. They have no entrepreneurial bent of mind. Even after attending various training programmes on entrepreneur ship women entrepreneurs fail to tide over the risks and troubles that may come up in an organisational working. 12. Limited managerial ability:

Management has become a specialised job which only efficient managers perform. Women entrepreneurs are not efficient in managerial functions like planning, organising, controlling, coordinating, staffing, directing, motivating etc. of an enterprise. Therefore, less and limited managerial ability of women has become a problem for them to run the enterprise successfully. 13. Legal formalities: Fulfilling the legal formalities required for running an enterprise becomes an upheaval task on the part of an women entrepreneur because of the prevalence of corrupt practices in government offices and procedural delays for various licenses, electricity, water and shed allotments. In such situations women entrepreneurs find it hard to concentrate on the smooth working of the enterprise. 14. Exploitation by middle men: Since women cannot run around for marketing, distribution and money collection, they have to depend on middle men for the above activities. Middle men tend to exploit them in the guise of helping. They add their own profit margin which result in less sales and lesser profit. 15. Lack of self confidence: Women entrepreneurs because of their inherent nature, lack of self-confidence which is essentially a motivating factor in running an enterprise successfully. They have to strive hard to strike a balance between managing a family and managing an enterprise. Sometimes she has to sacrifice her entrepreneurial urge in order to strike a balance between the two. Women empowerment and planning process in India: The all round development of women has been one of the focal point of planning process in India. The First Five-Year Plan (1951-56) envisaged a number of welfare measures for women. Establishment of the Central Social Welfare Board, organization of Mahila Mandals and the Community Development Programmes were a few steps in this direction. In the second Five-Year Plan (1956-61), the empowerment of women was closely linked with the overall approach of intensive agricultural development programmes. The Third and Fourth Five-Year Plans (1961-66 and 1969-74) supported female education as a major welfare measure. The Fifth Five-Year Plan (1974-79) emphasized training of women, who were in need of income and protection. This plan coincided with International Womens Decade and the submission of Report of the Committee on the Status of Women in India. In 1976, Womens welfare and Development Bureau was set up under the Ministry of Social Welfare. The Sixth Five-Year Plan (1980-85) saw a definite shift from welfare to development. It recognized, womens lack of access to resources as a critical factor impending their

growth. The seventh Five-Year Plan (1985-90) emphasized the need for gender equality and empowerment. For the first time, emphasis was placed upon qualitative aspects such as inculcation of confidence, generation of awareness with regards, to rights and training in skills for better employment. The Eight Five-Year Plan (1992-97) focused on empowering women, especially at the gross roots level, through Panchayat Raj Institutions. The Ninth Five-Year Plan (1997-2002) adopted a strategy of womens component plan, under which not less than 30 percent of funds/benefits were earmarked for womenspecific programmes. The Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-07) aims at empowering women through translating the recently adopted National Policy for Empowerment of Women (2001) into action and ensuring Survival, Protection and Development of women and children through rights based approach. Schemes for the development and promotion of women entrepreneurs According to the Third All India Census of Small Scale Industries conducted in 200102 and subsequent estimates made, only 10.11% of the Micro and Small Enterprises in India are owned by women while 9.46% of the MSE enterprises are managed by women. Currently (2006-07) their estimated number is 12.99 lakh women managed enterprise and 12.15 lakh women managed enterprise. In order to encourage more and more women enterprises in the MSE sector, several schemes have been formulated by this Ministry and some more are in the process of being finalized, targeted only at the development of women enterprises in India. 1) TRADE RELATED ENTREPRENEURSHIP ASSISTANCE AND DEVELOPMENT SCHEME FOR WOMEN (TREAD) With a view to encourage women in setting up their own ventures, government implements a Scheme, namely, Trade Related Entrepreneurship Assistance and Development (TREAD) during the 11th Plan. The scheme envisages economic empowerment of women through the development of their entrepreneurial skills in nonfarm activities.There are three major components of the scheme; i) GoI grant upto 30% of the total project cost to the Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) for promoting entrepreneurship among women. The remaining 70% of the project cost is financed by the lending agency as loan for undertaking activities as envisaged in the project. ii) GoI grant upto Rs.1 lakh per programme to training institutions / NGOs for imparting training to the women entrepreneurs, subject to these institutions/NGOs bring their share to the extent of minimum 25% of GOI grant and 10% in case of NER. iii) Need-based GoI grants upto Rs.5 lakh to National Entrepreneurship Development Institutions and any other institutions of repute for undertaking field surveys, research studies, evaluation studies, designing of training modules etc. Operationalisation of the Scheme

The scheme envisages that Women Associations/NGOs/SHGs should prepare composite bankable proposals for a group of women entrepreneurs, and submit to the office of the DC (MSME) for forwarding to the Banks for their appraisal. Bank examines the proposal and issues approval. 30% of the loan amount is sanctioned as grant and made available to the bank by office of DC (MSME) for further disbursement to NGOs. 2) MICRO & SMALL ENTERPRISES PROGRAMME (MSE-CDP) CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT

a) Existing Clusters: A cluster is defined as a group of enterprises, ideally having 100 members, producing same/similar products/services. While 100 members could be the minimum per cluster, depending on the density of population and other factors, even 200-300 could be a good target group for undertaking Diagnostic Study and the subsequent Soft Interventions in a cluster. However, in difficult and backward regions the target numbers could come down to 50 or less but it should not be too small as a lot of Government expenditure is made per cluster. The Cluster Development Programme (CDP) being implemented envisages diagnostic study of identified clusters of traditional skill-based MSEs to identify appropriate technologies and their providers and to facilitate adoption of available technology meeting the specific needs of the end users. The Cluster Development aims at enhanced competitiveness, technology improvement, adoption of best manufacturing practices, marketing of products, employment generation etc. The scheme provides assistance for capacity building, common facilities, marketing etc. the delivery, assimilation and diffusion of the identified technology from its producers to the recipient user/cluster of small enterprises. Type of interventions I) Soft Interventions capacity building activities in the cluster where no fixed assets is acquired or formed. Soft interventions, inter alia, include i) Diagnostic study ii) Forming association-Trust building & Developing Identity iii) Capacity building, iv) Organising workshops, seminars, v) Training & Exposure visits, vi) Market development, vii) Launch of Website, viii) Common procurement, ix) Common/complementary sales and branding; In the past depending upon the type of cluster, assistance available for soft interventions has varied in the range of Rs.25 35 lakh per cluster. Currently we have an internal ceiling of Rs.10 lakh for soft intervention under this Scheme. II) Hard Interventions Hard interventions, inter alia, include i) Setting up of Common Facility Centre (CFCs), ii) Mini Tool Room iii) Design Centre, iv) Testing Facilities v) Training Centre, vi) R&D Centre vii) Common Raw Material Bank/Sales depot, etc.

viii) Display/Exhibition Centre In case of the hard intervention the contribution from the M/o MSME varies between 30-80% of the total project cost, but in the case of clusters owned and managed by women entrepreneurs, contribution of the M/o MSME could be upto 90% of the project cost. b) Creation of physical infrastructure: This Ministry implemented the IID Scheme to provide developed sites with infrastructural facilities like power distribution network, water, telecommunications, drainage and pollution control facilities, roads, exhibition/display centres, raw materials, storage and marketing outlets, common service facilities and technological back-up services, etc. This scheme has been subsumed in the MSME-Cluster Development Programme. All the features of IID Scheme have been retained. To create physical infrastructure exclusively for women enterprises central grant of 40% of the project cost subject to a maximum of Rs.2 crore is available. The Ministry of MSME is making efforts to enhance the quantum of grant to 80% in a project of Rs.10 crore. Operationalisation of the Scheme i) A Cluster Development Executive (CDE) is required for executing and monitoring all soft interventions in a cluster. Normally, a CDE can be a DIC Officer/MSME-DI officer/retired expert or even hired person from NonGovernment Sector. ii) ii) The hard interventions in a cluster and creation of physical infrastructure require to set up a users body/special purpose vehicle which could be society/trust/company to be formed by the cluster beneficiaries. 3) CREDIT GUARANTEE FUND SCHEME FOR MICRO AND SMALL ENTREPRISES The Scheme was launched in August 2000 to ensure better flow of credit to micro and small enterprises by minimizing the risk perception of financial institutions and banks in lending without collateral security. Under the scheme, guarantee cover is provided to collateral free credit facility extended by member lending institutions (MLIs) to the new as well as existing micro and small enterprises on loans up to Rs.50 lakh. The guarantee cover available is up to 75% of the loans extended. The extent of guarantee cover is 80% for (i) micro enterprises for loans up to Rs.5 lakh; (ii) MSEs operated and/or owned by women; and (iii) all loans in the North-East Region. The lending institutions availing guarantee from the Trust have to pay one time guarantee fee of 1.5% and service charges of 0.75% per annum of the credit facility sanctioned. For loans up to Rs.5 lakh, the one time guarantee fee is 1% and service charges are 0.5% per annum of the credit facility sanctioned. 4) SUPPORT FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL AND MANAGERIAL DEVELOPMENT MSME-DIs regularly organize a number of Entrepreneurship Skill Development Programme (ESDPs)/ Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDPs)/ Management Development Programmes (MDPs) to train the potential entrepreneurs in improving their techno/managerial knowledge and skill with a view to facilitating them to start MSEs in various fields. Many of the programmes are tailor made for the target group for SC,ST, OBC,Women, Minorities and other weaker sections and exclusively for women also. These programmes are also called Out-reach Programmes as they are conducted in rural / less developed areas. 22.5% of total target of ESDPs/EDPs are

conducted exclusively for SC,ST, Women and Physically Challenged persons with a stipend of Rs. 500/- pre month per candidate under the Promotional Packages for MSEs. No fees is charged from SC / ST, women and Physically Handicapped. No fee is charged from SC and ST and 50 % fee from Women and PH candidates who attend the ESDP /EDP /MDP courses conducted for general candidates 5) EXHIBITIONS FOR WOMEN UNDER PROMOTIONAL PACKAGE FOR MICRO & SMALL ENTERPRISES APPROVED BY CCEA UNDER MARKETING SUPPORT DC (MSME) has formulated a scheme for women entrepreneurs to encourage Small & Micro manufacturing units owned by women and register in DI/DIC in their efforts at tapping and developing overseas markets, to increase participation of representatives of small/micro manufacturing enterprises under MSME stall at International Trade Fairs/Exhibitions, to enhance export from such units. Under this scheme, participation of women entrepreneurs in 25 international exhibitions is envisaged during the 11th Plan (2007-2012). With a view to encourage women entrepreneurs to participate in the International Exhibitions under MDA scheme it has been decided to: i) provide rent free space (6/9 Sq Mts) in the exhibitions ii) reimburse 100% economy class air fare for one representative The overall ceiling shall however be Rs. 1.25 lac. CONCLUSION: Despite all the issues and challenges, many women have become successful in their works. These successful women have made name & wealth for themselves with their hard work, diligence, competence and will power, the emergence of women entrepreneurs and their contribution to the national economy is quite visible in India. The number of women entrepreneurs has grown over a period of time, especially in the 1990s. Women entrepreneurs need to be lauded for their increased utilization of modern technology, increased investments, finding a niche in the export market, creating a sizable employment for others and setting the trend for other women entrepreneurs in the organized sector. While women entrepreneurs have demonstrated their potential, the fact remains that they are capable of contributing much more than what they already are. In order to harness their potential and for their continued growth and development, it is necessary to formulate appropriate strategies for stimulating, supporting and sustaining their efforts in this direction. Such a strategy needs to be in congruence with field realities, and should especially take cognizance of the problems women entrepreneurs face within the current system. There are new challenges and new people in business every time. So evolving is the new concept of knowledge worker, and the problems of attrition have shifted the focus of organizations to the women as future workforce, especially as knowledge workers. Obviously, there are many examples where a woman has reached to the top, like Indira Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo, Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairman & Managing Director of Bioon Ltd, Anu Aga of Thermax, Sulajja Firodia Motwani of Kinetic EngineeringLtd, Ekta Kapoor, creative head of Balajji Telefilms, and many more. So organizations have started seeing women with a new hope, they are taking up women of ability, pairing them with men of ability, to make the best organization and a profitable one too

1. Corner, L. 1998. Women and economic development and cooperation in AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation 2. Jose P., Ajith Kumar & Paul T.M., (1994) Entrepreneurship Development, HimalayaPublishing.. Medha Dubhashi Vinze (1987) 3. Women Entrepreneurs In India: A Socio-Economic Study of Delhi - 1975-76, Mittal Publications,NewDelhi. 4. Renuka V. (2001) Opportunities and challenges for women in business, India Together, OnlineReport,CivilSocietyInformationExchangePvt.Ltd. 5. Starcher, D. C. (1996). Women entrepreneurs: Catalysts for transformation. Retrieved July6,2001:http://www.ebbf.org/woman.htm10(c2001269511) 6. Amha, W., A. Ademassie, 2004. Rural financial intermediation program and its role in strengthening the rural financial system in Ethiopia, Journal of Microfinance Development Review, 3(2): 230-365. 7. Eshetu, Bekele Journal of., Zeleke, Worku., 2008. Women Entrepreneurship in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises: The Case of Ethiopia, South Africa. Journal of International Womens Studies Vol. 10 #2 University of the Western Cape at Bellville. 8. Grossman, Amy., 2009. 7 Traits of Women Entrepreneurs, Boomer Business Launcher, the Institute for Leadership and Management Greene, 9. Patricia G., 2003. Women Entrepreneurs: Moving Front and Center: An Overview of Research and Theory, University of Missouri Kansas City

10. Hossain, Abir., 2007. Challenges of Women Entrepreneurs in Bangladesh, October 12 , Bangladesh 11. Hendricks, Lindiwe, 2005.South African Women Entrepreneurs a burgeoning force in our economy, A Special Report, the department of industry, South Africa 12. ITPS., 2002. Newly-started enterprises in Sweden 2000 and 2001, ostersund, Sweden, Institutet for tillvaxt politiska studier. 13. Kumar, M., Dileep., 2006. Problems of Women Entrepreneurs in India ,Symbiosis (SCMHRD, SCDL), Pune, India. 14. Mishra .S.P.(1996) Report Factors Affecting Women Entrepreneurship in Small and Cottage Industries in India International labour Organisation, Swedish International Development cooperation Agency. 15. Noya, Antonella., 2006. Women's Entrepreneurship in Romania: first results and policy orientations9th CEI Summit Economic Forum Tirana, 22-23.

16. promoting entrepreneurship and innovative SMEs in a global economy: towards a more responsible and inclusive globalization., 2004. 2nd OECD conference of ministers responsible for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Istanbul, Turkey 3-5. 17. Prabha Singh (2009) Rural Women and Development of Entrepreneurship with special reference to Punjab in Empowerment of Rural Women in India Kanishka Publishers, New Delhi. 18. Ram Naresh Thakur (2009). Rural Women Empowerment in India in Empowerment of Rural Women in India Kanishka Publishers, New Delhi. 19. Srivastava, Madhuri., 2008. Women Entrepreneurship in India: Some Aspects, Department of Economics,Centre for Women Studies and Development Faculty of Social Sciences, Banaras Hindu University 20. Thamaraiselv, R., 2009. Women as Entrepreneurs in India, Articles Base, India, pp: 1-2. 21. Vikas. k., 2007. Problems of Women Entrepreneurs in India, 123 Eng Engineering the engineers. 22. Women Entrepreneurs in Ireland and the Czech Republic: A Comparative Study., 2007. Centre for entrepreneurship research, dundalk institute of technology.