Stand-Up India Scheme Celebrates 7 Years of Empowering Women Entrepreneurs

Marking a significant milestone, the Stand-Up India Scheme has entered its seventh year after it commenced operations on April 5, 2016. The scheme was launched by the Ministry of Finance as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav program with a view to providing banking facilities for SC, ST, and women entrepreneurs to start new units. 

The Stand-Up India Scheme has traveled a long way since its inception in 2016, evolving from a financial assistance program to a real change catalyst. In the last seven years, it has driven countless entrepreneurial stories, generated new employment opportunities, and opened the door to a more inclusive economy. 

The effect is evident in figures. From ₹16,085 crore of sanctioned loans in 2019, the figure has risen to more than ₹61,000 crore by March 2025. That's an indication of how extensive the influence of the scheme has spread throughout the nation. 

Between 2018 and 2024, more individuals from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes started realizing their ideas. SC loan accounts increased from approximately 9,400 to over 46,000, and ST accounts increased more than five times. But the most striking transformation was among female entrepreneurs, whose numbers more than tripled—with almost 1.9 lakh women taking loans of nearly ₹44,000 crore. These numbers reflect not just access to money but growing confidence, ambition, and support for those who had long been underrepresented in enterprise.