Empowering India’s heartland: Four rural women leading India’s MSME revolution;  On MSME Day, discover how resilient women entrepreneurs are leading change and building stronger, more vibrant rural communities.

JAMMU: The Economic Survey 2024–25 highlighted that while over 50% of India’s artisans are women, only 22% of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are women-owned. Similarly, although women constitute 64.4% of the country’s agricultural workforce, only 6–10% are employed in top agri-related sectors, as revealed in the 2025 report ‘Women in Agribusiness: Opportunities and Challenges’ by Godrej Agrovet Ltd. The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) estimates that women's overall participation in MSMEs is just 20%, attributing the low rate to social norms, gender bias, a lack of access to finance, and limited institutional support.

However, some women from rural India have managed to overcome these barriers and build successful entrepreneurial ventures through resilience, innovation, and community support. On MSME Day (June 27), discover how four inspiring women from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh established sustainable micro-enterprises. They did so with the help of Self-Help Groups and community-driven initiatives led by organisations like Transform Rural India (TRI), a development design organisation working on transforming India's bottom 100,000 villages into flourishing communities.

An overview:

Kaushalya Dawar (Madhya Pradesh):

Kaushalya Dawar, a young entrepreneur from Barwani, Madhya Pradesh, is building a steady presence in youth-led local enterprises. Her journey began when she met a Youth Fellow from Transform Rural India (TRI), who recognized Kaushalya’s dedication and encouraged her to join the Accelerated Entrepreneurship Development Program (AEDP)—a 10-day training initiative by Tata Strive, facilitated by TRI.

During the course, she conducted a local market survey and discovered that her village was a shopping hub for women from neighboring areas. Inspired by these insights, she decided to diversify her business beyond stitching to include boutique items and basic beauty products. She also registered her enterprise under the MSME category, set up a signage board, and enabled UPI payments—making her business more visible and accessible. She also began stocking ready-to-sell clothing alongside her tailoring services.  

With a solid business plan, Kaushalya applied for and secured a Rs 40,000 loan under the Mudra Yojana scheme through Canara Bank. Her venture is now gaining recognition in the community, with a growing range of offerings. Looking ahead, Kaushalya hopes to employ two other women from her area and is working toward enrolling her child in a better school.

From Sewing to Success: Shabana Tai’s Multi-Enterprise Journey

Shabana Tai, from Mangrul village, Maharashtra has steadily built a web of micro-enterprises through years of persistence, learning, and local support. Her enterprise journey began in 2006 when a grassroots community-based organisation (CBO) initiated SHGs in her village. In 2009, she became an Aarogya Sakhi, receiving a modest stipend that helped her buy a sewing machine. The arrival of Umed-Maharashtra’s State Rural Livelihoods Mission, in 2014–15 opened up new avenues. With access to microloans, she upgraded to a motorised sewing machine and began selling tailoring materials.

She later added mehendi cones and packaged water to her offerings. In 2021, seeing SHG members struggle to submit documents, she bought a photocopy machine, creating another income stream. A year later, she purchased a second-hand flour mill and began milling services. Encouraged by fellow SHG members, she expanded her tailoring work into a full-fledged shop by 2023. In 2024, she bought an Ice Pepsi-making machine and began supplying cold drinks to her sister’s shop and others. With five income sources now under her management, Shabana earns Rs 20,000–Rs 30,000 a month and supports her family and sister.

Mamta’s Sewing Centre: Stitching Livelihoods and Empowering Communities

Mamta, from Gulaura village in Basti district, Uttar Pradesh, has transformed her passion for tailoring into a thriving livelihood and a force for community empowerment. Although she always loved stitching, financial constraints kept her dreams on hold—until she joined the Jai Maa Santoshi Self-Help Group (SHG). Rising through the ranks, Mamta became president of both her SHG and the village organization, harnessing collective support to secure a Rs 50,000 loan and open a tailoring centre with just two machines.

Her sewing centre quickly became a beacon for local girls and women seeking to learn new skills. To date, Mamta has trained 40 to 50 girls and continues to teach regularly, earning Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,250 per month from training alone. With support from TRI and by completing a stitching course through RSETI, Mamta also learned essential business skills like bookkeeping and stock management, enabling her to expand her unit. 

As her business grew, Mamta purchased three more sewing machines and opened a garments store to meet local demand. Today, she earns Rs 7,000–Rs 8,000 per month, helping her family achieve an annual income of up to Rs 1,10,000.

Mamta’s journey is not just about personal success—it’s about uplifting others. By providing training and skilling opportunities to dozens of young girls and women, she is empowering her entire community and inspiring others to pursue their own dreams. 

Madhuri Pal: Inspiring Change in Rural Uttar Pradesh

Madhuri Pal, a 35-year-old mother of three from Chakhra Gram Panchayat in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh has built a thriving dairy business from the ground up. A postgraduate, she once managed household responsibilities while her husband earned through farming. In 2014, she joined the Ram Prerna Self-Help Group (SHG) and with the support from her SHG and the Cluster-Level Federation (CLF), Madhuri set up a Milk Collection Centre in 2019, starting with just 5 litres of milk a day.

Her journey was not without challenges. Local milk traders, feeling threatened by her growing business, tried to sabotage her efforts. Undeterred, Madhuri introduced instant payments for farmers, building trust and loyalty—something earlier dairy ventures had failed to achieve.Today, her Centre collects over 2.5 quintals of milk daily. She has also diversified into other dairy products like Khoya and Paneer – supplying local markets and caterers.

Now, she is looking to expand further with plans for an Ice cream and Cream unit. TRI provided her with business development training, helping her understand quality control, bookkeeping, and market linkages. Madhuri was able to access financial support from Rang De, which enabled her to invest in better equipment and expand her product range. She also increased her business’s visibility by supporting the installation of a new glow sign board, making her milk collection centre a recognizable hub in the community. Her journey continues to encourage women in her area to think bigger.