Need to bridge information gap among aspiring women entrepreneurs in Bihar Experts

    Patna, Sep 6 (PTI) Women entrepreneurs in Bihar said
on Sunday that lack of awareness about government policies and
incentives for new businesses was the biggest hurdle in taking
their startups forward.
    Addressing a webinar, representatives of Bihar Mahila
Udyog Sangh and other leading organisations of women
entrepreneurs highlighted the need for launching regular
awareness campaigns to encourage women to start a venture.
    The digital session was organised by
Sheatwork.AtmaNirbharShe, a one-stop knowledge hub for women
entrepreneurs.
    "Most of us are not aware of the policies or
incentives for women entrepreneurs implemented by the Centre
and state governments. In fact, according to industry reports,
the majority of women entrepreneurs in Bihar are self-
financed," sheatwork.AtmaNirbhar.She founder Ruby Sinha said.
    Only five per cent of women entrepreneurs in the state
received financial assistance from the government, while just
one per cent borrowed from formal financial institutions, she
said.
    Access to institutional credit and the government
incentive schemes has been limited, though the state
government had announced Rs 500 crore Bihar Startup Policy in
2017, Sinha said.
    "Through a series of webinars, starting with this
edition, we are trying to highlight the state of women
entrepreneurship across the country and bridge the information
gap," she added.
    Bihar Mahila Udyog Sangh's president and Petals Craft
founder Usha Jha said, "Due to lack of exposure and
communication skills, women entrepreneurs in Bihar have been
unable to present themselves on national and international
levels."
    Frontline Business Solution vice chairperson Soniya
Sanjay Sinha said major challenges that women entrepreneurs
face in the state are "family pressures, gender and socio-
economic issues".
    Brand Radiator co-founder and CEO Himani Mishra said,
"When a woman determines to start her own venture, the
challenges she faces are more on credibility and societal
structure than real business problems."
    She urged the government to formulate a business
ecosystem which will encourage women to start a venture.
    The Entrepreneurship School founder and CEO Sanjeeva
Shivesh said, "Bihar is a land where the seed of republic was
sown. Now, we must sow seeds of entrepreneurialism here." PTI
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)