The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) of NITI Aayog, launched EmpowHER Biz – Sapno Ki Udaan in partnership with New Shop. This is India’s convenience retail chain under its Award to Reward (ATR) program.

About EmpowHER Biz

• Aim: To create a robust retail ecosystem that empowers women entrepreneurs and drives sustainable growth in the sector.
• Under this initiative, 50 participants aged 18–35, will be selected through an online application process based on specific criteria.
• Top twenty of these participants will receive a 100% waiver on New Shop franchise fees.
• This will empower them to own and operate their retail businesses with significantly reduced barriers to entry.
• It is launched for women from Delhi NCR, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.
• Also, it will offer mentorship and comprehensive training, covering retail management, digital tools, financial literacy and business development to aspiring women entrepreneurs.

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About Women Entrepreneurship Platform

• It is an initiative by the NITI Aayog to promote and support aspiring as well as established women entrepreneurs in India.
• Its focus is on assisting them in their journey from starting up to scaling up and expanding their ventures.
• In 2018, it was incubated in NITI Aayog as an aggregator platform and transitioned into a public-private partnership in 2022.
• The platform works to strengthen industry linkages and increase awareness of the women entrepreneurs regarding the existing programmes and services.
• Services are provided in 6 main focus areas:
  • Community and Networking
  • Funding and Financial Assistance
  • Incubation and Acceleration
  • Compliance and Tax Assistance
  • Entrepreneur Skilling
  • Mentorship and Marketing Assistance.

Since 2023, the ‘Award to Reward’ initiative under WEP also offers a plug and play framework for stakeholders to develop impactful programs.

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