– Aims to bridge the information and last mile delivery gap in public schemes and initiatives
– Targets ease of doing business for 500,000 women entrepreneurs across India by 2027
Delhi, 09 March, 2023: Tide, the UK’s leading SME-focused business financial platform, that
recently launched in India, and WE Hub, Telangana’s state-led incubator for women entrepreneurs
have launched the ‘Sarthika’ programme, to bridge the information and last mile delivery gaps in state
and central government schemes for women-led micro, small and medium-sized enterprises
(MSMEs).
Through this initiative, Tide aims to reach women entrepreneurs across India and enhance the ease
of doing business by improving access to information and uptake of public schemes and initiatives.
The Sarthika web portal (https://www.tide.co/en-in/wehub-tide/) will work with the cohort at the
grassroots level to help them navigate through the application process, eligibility criteria, and other
important aspects of the schemes. After the completion of full KYC process, Tide India and WE Hub
will work with relevant government departments to quicken operationalisation of the schemes.
The programme’s first phase consists of three schemes
- Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP): The scheme focuses on
credit subsidy for self-employment. - Raw Material Assistance Scheme: This scheme offers access to higher quality raw
materials. - Barcode Registration Subsidy: This scheme enables businesses to conform to global
standards of trade and commerce.
The Government of India has rolled out a series of measures to boost growth and opportunities for
women in business. However, lack of information about eligibility and availability of schemes, poor
allocation of resources, and complex processes have led to weak demand from the people these
schemes could best serve.
The Sarthika programme comes at a time when W20, under India’s G20 presidency, is focused on
realising the vision of women-led development, with women as active change agents of India’s growth
story rather than passive recipients of development. The W20 is an official G20 engagement group
focused on gender equity.
WE Hub CEO, Deepthi Ravula said, “Enabling access and opportunity for women to partake in the
economic workforce of the nation is of pivotal importance to the growth of the nation. While there have
been efforts to ease this process, awareness and handholding support is often amiss. In our
collaboration with Tide, we are looking at addressing this problem statement and are positive that this
will lead to a monumental change!”
This move also elevates Tide’s India Chapter of ‘Women in Business’ and the company’s plan to work
as an incubator to digitally transform women-led SMEs beyond Tier 2 and 3 regions of India.
Kumar Shekhar, Deputy Country Manager, Tide India said, “As India presides over G20, there is
an increased need to focus on the inclusion of women in finance and creating an enabling and non-
discriminatory ecosystem. Last mile delivery of schemes and incentives is a common challenge faced
by governments across the globe. While there is no magic bullet to bridge this gap, we are proud to
launch a programme that will not just remove barriers to women-led development but help them
realise their full potential.”
Earlier this year, Tide also conducted a mentorship programme for women entrepreneurs to decode
the Union Budget 2023 and help them understand how new government policies, tax laws, and
funding opportunities may affect their businesses.
