New Delhi | There are over 1.84 crore women-owned MSMEs in the country and the government has taken a number of initiatives to increase the participation of women in the sector, Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Jitan Ram Manjhi said on Thursday.

He said in the Lok Sabha that the women owners of Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) registered on Udyam and Udyam Assist Platform (UAP), since the launch of Udyam on July 1, 2020 and the launch of UAP on January 11, 2023 in the country, is 39 per cent.

"Number of women-owned MSMEs as on July 23, 2024 is 1,84,59,809," he said during Question Hour.

Manjhi said the government has taken a number of initiatives to increase the participation of women in MSMEs in the country such as amendment of the Public Procurement Policy in 2018 and mandating central ministries and departments and undertaking to procure at least three per cent of their annual procurement from women entrepreneurs to benefit women entrepreneurs.

He said to support women entrepreneurs under credit guarantee scheme for MSMEs, guarantee coverage of up to 85 per cent as against the 75 per cent for others and 10 per cent concession in annual guarantee fees were introduced.