Women entrepreneurs in rural India are resilient and resourceful — but the data also highlights a missed opportunity in scaling their impact.
A survey by DBS Bank India and Haqdarshak found that 90% of rural women entrepreneurs save part of their income, and a third save between 20–50% of their monthly earnings — demonstrating strong financial discipline.
At the same time, separate research shows e-commerce participation among women grassroots entrepreneurs stands at only 13%, though 44% use digital payment apps in their business operations, suggesting early adoption of digital tools but limited market access.
As one rural MSME owner quoted after a local workshop, “We know what to sell — we just need customers who see us.”
This is the core challenge: Indian women are active in creation, but underrepresented in visibility and scale. According to IBEF, women own roughly 22% of India’s MSMEs, even as their potential to generate employment and uplift communities is well documented.
Platforms that connect talent with capital and markets — rather than only focusing on training — will unlock this latent potential. That’s the shift initiatives like Dhanotsav are pursuing. At the forefront of connecting rural entrepreneurial talent with markets and capital, Dhanotsav is — a national platform that starts with structured training with Safal Karobar Program, advances to mentor-led incubation, and culminates in a reality-format pitch series where rural entrepreneurs compete for grants, visibility, and critical market linkages. Through this blend of capacity building and exposure, Dhanotsav helps founders refine their business models, gain confidence, and connect to networks that are otherwise hard to access.
Source - ETgovernment.com, DBS Bank, The economics times