Bengaluru (The Hindu): With exclusive industrial parks, higher subsidies and even a guidance cell specifically for women, the Karnataka government has gone all out to woo women entrepreneurs to invest in the State.

At the first-ever session on women entrepreneurship, during the ‘Invest Karnataka 2016’ meet here on Thursday, the State government launched the ‘Women Entrepreneur’s Guidance Cell’ as well as announced that a 100-acre women-specific tech park at Harohalli would be inaugurated on March 8 — International Women’s Day.

The red carpet continued to roll on, with Ratna Prabha, Additional Chief Secretary, Commerce and Industries, unveiling a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the “sister city” of San Francisco, U.S. to facilitate exchange of experiences of women entrepreneurs in the two IT-intensive cities as well as a more than 50 per cent subsidy for women seeking entrepreneurship certificates in the U.S.

According to the Industries Department, less than 10 per cent of businesspersons are women — a figure the government hopes will increase with the exclusive tech zones. “Before, in government schemes, women used to be clubbed with backward classes and the physically challenged. We felt this was ridiculous and changed this in the industrial policy 2014–19,” said Ms. Prabha.

While much has changed in the business world for women, finance continues to be a challenge, said Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairperson and managing director of the bio-tech company Biocon as well as among the first women entrepreneurs in the city.

“Now, around 30 per cent of startups are run by women. Financing remains a challenge and this is where the government can play an enabling role by providing extra seed funding to these startups,” she said.

Though welcoming the two women-specific tech parks — which are a part of a larger industrial complex — Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw cautioned against the exclusive park planned in Mysuru which would disconnect these enterprises completely from those run by men.

Skill building programmes
Representatives of Walmart, which is setting up 10 cash-and-carry stores in the State, as well as the furniture giant IKEA committed to skill-building programmes with emphasis for women here.

Number of women-run enterprises in Karnataka: 1.03 lakh

This is 9.7 per cent of the total industries and enterprises in the State

Karnataka stands third in the country in terms of women-run enterprises

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Results of ‘women initiatives’ in five-year industrial policy

Since 2014, aim was to establish 21,000 women enterprises

In two years, 17,080 enterprises have been set up

In the next three years, aim is to have 47,800 more enterprises

Women-specific technology park at Harohalli, near Kanakapura, to be opened on March 8

Another planned at Hubballi

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, CMD of Biocon: Finance is still a challenge for women entrepreneurs. The government must play an enabling role and provide extra seed funding to startups run by women.

Photo credit: The Hindu