• In January 2025, The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) of NITI Aayog launched a new initiative called EmpowHER Biz – Sapno Ki Udaan in partnership with New Shop, India’s largest 24/7 convenience retail chain.
  • This collaboration aims to empower women entrepreneurs by providing them with the necessary skills and resources to succeed in the organized retail sector.
  • The program is designed to support aspiring women entrepreneurs by offering mentorship, training, and access to financial tools to help them build sustainable retail businesses.

KEY FEATURES OF EMPOWHER INITIATIVE

  • Objective:
    • The EmpowHER Biz initiative aims to empower women entrepreneurs by providing a comprehensive support system to help them establish themselves in the retail business.
    • The focus is on providing mentorship, training, and access to digital tools, financial literacy, and business development resources.
  • Program Structure:
    • The program will offer mentorship and comprehensive training, covering critical aspects such as:
      • Retail management
      • Digital tools
      • Financial literacy
      • Business development
    • The initiative will select fifty women participants aged 18–35 through an online application process, based on specific eligibility criteria.
  • Special Benefits:
    • The top twenty participants will receive a 100% waiver on New Shop franchise fees, allowing them to own and operate their own retail businesses with reduced financial barriers.
    • The program is specifically targeted at women from Delhi NCR, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.
  • Role of New Shop:
    • New Shop operates a network of over 200 convenience retail stores, which are open 24/7 and are strategically located in high-density neighborhoods, highways, and gas stations.
    • The company plans to expand further into mass transit hubs such as airports and railway stations.
    • New Shop is committed to empowering over 10,000 entrepreneurs by 2030, primarily through its franchising model.
  • Role of WEP:
    • WEP, incubated by NITI Aayog in 2018, aims to empower women entrepreneurs through a variety of support mechanisms, including:
      • Access to finance
      • Market linkages
      • Training and skilling
      • Mentoring and networking
      • Compliance and legal assistance
      • Business development services
    • Since 2023, the ‘Award to Reward’ initiative under WEP provides a plug-and-play framework for developing impactful programs for women entrepreneurs, with the support of more than 30 public and private sector partners.