MSME Ministry Workshop on SRI Fund for Women-Led Enterprises
The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises organized an awareness workshop on the Self-Reliant India (SRI) Fund for supporting Women-Led MSMEs on November 4, 2026, at Kartavya Bhawan 3, New Delhi, as part of the Yashashvini Campaign for promoting women entrepreneurship. The event was chaired by Shri Bharat Khera, Secretary (MSME), and attended by over 60 women entrepreneurs, senior ministry officials, industry associations, NVCFL, SBI Ventures Limited, Daughter Funds, WEP of NITI Aayog, and Atal Incubation Centre ALEAP Women Entrepreneurs Hub.
SRI Fund Performance and Impact
Dr. Rajneesh, Additional Secretary & Development Commissioner, provided an overview of the SRI Fund which was conceived to extend equity support to MSMEs beyond traditional debt. The fund has a ₹10,000 crore commitment from the Government of India with an expectation that private investors would contribute four times that amount. Notably, investee enterprises associated with the SRI Fund have grown their turnover three to four times within two to three years and subsequently raised additional capital from private sources.
Secretary Bharat Khera revealed that under the SRI Fund, commitments of ₹8,305 crore have been made against the ₹10,000 crore corpus, leveraging nearly ₹48,000 crore from private venture capital and private equity funds. Seventy-two Daughter Funds have been empanelled, and investments of ₹21,330 crore have been made in 824 MSMEs, with approximately 74% being micro enterprises. Among the enterprises supported, 77 have moved up to a larger category, six have been listed on stock exchanges, and 32 exits have been completed with profits.
MSME Sector Progress and Additional Initiatives
Khera highlighted that Udyam and Udyam Assist portal registrations crossed 10 crore on October 30, 2026, bridging the formalization gap, with 37.6% being women-owned enterprises with an aspiration to reach 50%. MSME credit outstanding has grown from about ₹10 lakh crore in 2014 to over ₹40 lakh crore, while non-performing assets for the sector have fallen to about 3.5%. An additional ₹2,000 crore has been provided to the SRI Fund in Union Budget 2026-27 specifically for micro enterprises, alongside the newly rolled out ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund that will invest directly in small and medium enterprises.
Investment Criteria and Ecosystem Support
Daughter Funds make investment decisions on commercial lines, considering viability, growth trajectory over the last three years, and business plans with positive cash flows. The Government maintains an arm's length from day-to-day operations and does not influence investment decisions. Investment criteria include strong market potential, capable team, scalable model, audited financials, governance readiness including private limited company structure, and clear use of capital.
Ecosystem partners including Atal Incubation Centre ALEAP Women Entrepreneurs Hub and Women Entrepreneurship Platform of NITI Aayog provide support through incubation, mentorship, market access, information on government schemes, and compliance support. Technical support for the workshop was provided by MicroSave Consulting.
Future Directions and Accessibility
The workshop included discussions on approaching Daughter Funds, investment-readiness for proprietorship-run enterprises, sector-specific funds, and technology infrastructure support. Details of the 72 Daughter Funds, including their sector focus and contacts, are available on the NSIC Venture Capital Fund Limited website. The Ministry assured continued support to women entrepreneurship through the Yashashvini Campaign.