IIMCIP, JSLPS Launch Incubator Program for Women Entrepreneurs

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Tuesday, 18 August 2026

IIM Calcutta Innovation Park (IIMCIP) and the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) have launched the Jharkhand Incubator Program, a three-year initiative aimed at strengthening rural women entrepreneurship, grassroots innovation, and inclusive economic growth across the state.

This program, sanctioned by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India, aims to enable women in Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Sakhi Mandals to break the cycle of livelihood activities and establish and grow sustainable and scalable enterprises. All 24 districts and 264 blocks of Jharkhand will be covered under the initiative and there would be a structured approach towards identification and support of high-potential women entrepreneurs.

The state level launch and orientation program was conducted at Ranchi in the presence of Smt. Hon’ble Minister for Rural Development, Government of Jharkhand Smt. Dipika Pandey Singh, IAS, Secretary, Department of Rural Development were present to witness the event. IAS Garima Singh, Managing Director, Jharcraft and IAS Shri Ananya Mittal, Chief Executive Officer, JSLPS with the presence of IIMCIP and the entrepreneurship ecosystem.

 Key Highlights

• Jharkhand Incubator Program launched to support rural women entrepreneurs
• Program will identify women entrepreneurs across 24 districts and 264 blocks
• Top 500 women entrepreneurs will receive training, mentoring and incubation
   

Ajay Jain, Chairman, IIM Calcutta Innovation Park Board, said, "Women are creating enterprises with ambition and resilience in rural India. He pointed to their potential to boost household income and stimulate local economies and their impact on future generations of entrepreneurs. IIMCIP's partnership seeks to offer knowledge, skills, and tailored guidance to help women entrepreneurs who are eligible for this partnership advance inclusive economic growth”.

Shri Ananya Mittal, IAS, CEO, JSLPS, said “the program makes the best use of JSLPS's community engagement efforts and IIMCIP's incubation expertise to identify women entrepreneurs and link them to available resources and opportunities. Moreover, the program will enhance the capacity of field teams in the long term”.

The program was a two-day initiative, which included sessions with experts on Enterprise Development, Innovation, Digital Inclusion, Branding and Market Access to rural women entrepreneurs. Experts from the Atal Innovation Mission, Digital Empowerment Foundation and IIM Calcutta spoke about various themes such as AI solutions, digital empowerment, innovation and entrepreneurship development.

An orientation program for JSLPS district/block teams was also conducted with an emphasis on entrepreneur identification and program implementation. The sessions were attended by 118 participants namely District Program Manager, District Manager–Enterprise Promotion, Block Program Officer–Enterprise Promotion, Young Professionals–Non-Farm Livelihood. They were also provided with practical training on the application process.

The beneficiaries of Sakhi Mandals will be evaluated over the three years across Jharkhand and the top 500 entrepreneurs will be provided advanced training, mentoring and incubation. The program will also strengthen the capacity of the officials of JSLPS and community resource persons to facilitate women entrepreneurs.

It is a great initiative towards boosting women entrepreneurship in rural India as women are given an opportunity to convert rural livelihoods to businesses and also to participate in the economy, innovate and create employment and contribute to grassroot development.