An Assessment of the Challenges Faced By Rural Women Entrepreneurs and the Effectiveness of Institutional Support Systems in Varanasi District, Uttar Pradesh, India

The present study assessed the major challenges faced by rural women entrepreneurs and evaluated the effectiveness of institutional support systems in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh. A purposive-cum-random sampling technique was adopted to select 60 women entrepreneurs engaged in three prominent rural enterprises, namely Banarasi Silk Weaving, Gulabi Meenakari and Karonda Pickle production. Primary data were collected through a pre-tested structured interview schedule, while secondary information was obtained from official reports and published sources. The collected data were analysed using percentage analysis, Garrett Ranking Technique, Likert Scale analysis and arithmetic mean. The findings revealed that the double burden of household responsibilities and entrepreneurial activities constituted the most severe challenge, followed by restricted mobility, inadequate digital literacy and insufficient access to start-up capital. Garrett ranking further established that financial and credit constraints, socio-cultural restrictions and inadequate entrepreneurial skills were the principal barriers limiting enterprise growth. The study also observed that sixty per cent of the respondents were members of Self-Help Groups, indicating their significant role in facilitating institutional credit and development support. Although awareness of major government schemes, particularly the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM)/Aajeevika and PM-KISAN, was relatively high, the actual utilisation of these programmes remained considerably lower, reflecting an implementation gap between awareness and accessibility. Among the various institutional support mechanisms, Self-Help Group membership emerged as the most effective intervention in improving financial access, whereas government training programmes and NRLM support demonstrated moderate effectiveness. The study concluded that strengthening financial inclusion, entrepreneurial capacity-building, digital literacy, market integration and institutional outreach, alongside simplifying access to government support schemes, would substantially enhance the sustainability, competitiveness and socio-economic empowerment of rural women entrepreneurs, thereby contributing to inclusive rural development and local economic transformation.

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