50% startups in UP are run by women

LUCKNOW: Of the more than 8,713 startups registered in Uttar Pradesh, over 4,305 are being run by women, said a senior government official.
In details shared by the department of IT and electronics, these startups have been recognised by the department for promotion of industry and internal trade, a state government spokesperson said adding that various subsidies and concessions are being offered to women entrepreneurs in the field of startups.
S pecial secretary, IT and electronics department Akshay Tripathi said the department has launched various initiatives to increase the participation of women in the startup sector. “Women are being given an additional grant of 50%. The department can give a maximum grant of Rs 7.5 lakh. If the share of a woman in a startup is more than 26%, then an additional grant of 50% will be given, which is equivalent to a maximum of Rs 3.75 lakh. In addition to this, they are also given a monthly sum of Rs 17,500 for a year,” Tripathi said.
The department shared the stories of two women entrepreneurs, Neha Mishra and Anushka, whose plans got a boost due to the department’s policies. Mishra, who hails from Lucknow, has launched a startup called The Fin Lit Project. A software engineer, she has worked in several companies. She was working for a US company when Covid struck and had to return to Lucknow. It was then that she thought of launching her startup and contacted the department. The Fin Lit Project was launched in 2020 and is aimed at making people financially literate by giving them information about investing, insurance, taxes etc.
Mishra also recently launched an app which has been downloaded 5,000 times. The second entrepreneur Anushka also hails from Lucknow. Her startup, The Animist Earth, works to provide a platform to artists, housewives and small industries. The website provides a major market to small artists and artisans and more than 100 people from across the country are linked with it. Currently around 50-60 home made products are available on it. Anushka said the ecofriendly products are priced from Rs 10 to Rs 1,200.