Women are integral to the economy of rural India, with 75% engaged in agriculture and related livelihoods. However, systemic barriers such as limited land ownership (13.9%) and restricted access to formal credit and technology impede their economic advancement. Despite their crucial role in food security, their contributions often go unrecognised, marginalising them economically.

Grant Thornton Bharat’s report, "Women Economic Empowerment: Scalable Models for Transformation," showcases an initiative by the firm in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This programme, covering six states — Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab, Assam, and West Bengal — aims to increase the incomes of 500,000 rural women by 25%. By aligning state resources and government schemes, the initiative tackles systemic challenges through gender-disaggregated data collection, cross-departmental collaboration, and capacity-building efforts to enhance women's entrepreneurial and decision-making abilities. The report demonstrates how gender-transformative governance can drive inclusive growth and foster sustainable rural development across India.

The women economic empowerment (WEE) programme employs a strategic, gender-responsive approach to address systemic barriers in women's livelihoods, ensuring that interventions are both scalable and sustainable.

Features of the WEE programme

1.

Data collection and visualisation

Gender-disaggregated data on schemes and beneficiaries is collected and visualised to support informed policymaking and tailored initiatives. 

2.

Creation of gender-focused portfolios through convergence

Grant Thornton Bharat collaborated with government departments to establish joint action plans that ensure gender-sensitive and impactful interventions while preventing resource duplication.

3.

Capacity building

Training for government departments and women's groups strengthens local capacity, empowering women to manage sustainable enterprises and participate in economic decision-making.

4.

Scaling and diffusion

The programme's outcomes and learnings are planned to be extended to other regions, with targeted partnerships in Assam, Punjab, and West Bengal.

Through this programme, Grant Thornton Bharat is developing and implementing scalable models to empower women and create a lasting, broad impact on their livelihoods. These models are designed to establish gender-transformative governance frameworks, driving a national shift towards resource-optimised, women-focused economic growth. Through this integrated approach, the programme is building a strengthened ecosystem for WEE across India.

Collective action for WEE

Self-help groups (SHGs), farmer producer organisations (FPOs), and producer groups enable women to leverage economies of scale, access better markets, and increase their income. Programmes such as the Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), which supports more than 910 FPOs across the country, the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) have been instrumental in strengthening these groups’ capacities. Similarly, the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) has promoted women-run cooperatives in sectors like dairy, handicrafts, and food processing, improving incomes and market access for women.

In recent years, several collective partnerships and programmes have made significant strides in advancing women’s livelihoods. Key examples include:

Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) by NITI Aayog
Establishes a support ecosystem for women entrepreneurs with resources for finance, marketing, and mentorship
IKEA Foundation’s partnership with UNDP 
Promotes entrepreneurship and financial access for rural women
Tata Trusts and Google’s Internet Saathi initiative
Empowers women through digital literacy
HUL-UN Women Shakti Project
Trains rural women to become entrepreneurs, creating income opportunities and fostering economic empowerment across communities

While these efforts by the Government and stakeholders collectively drive inclusive and sustainable growth for women, certain challenges remain in ensuring gender-equitable access to resources and opportunities for women farmers and entrepreneurs.

Key challenges

1.

Inadequate convergence and collaboration with governmental departments, district administrations, and similar entities

2.

Insufficient capacity-building initiatives for beneficiaries, communities and stakeholders, hindering long-term sustainability of programmes 

3.

Lack of scalable models that can be leveraged and replicated across diverse regions to ensure consistent impact

4.

Limited focus on sustainability strategies, reducing the effectiveness of programmes in achieving enduring outcomes for women's empowerment

These challenges underscore the need for scalable, ecosystem-wide programmes tailored to women's needs. Targeted policy interventions can boost women's participation across sectors, ensuring equitable access to resources and decision-making. Addressing these gaps through strategic focus and sustainable models will enhance women's livelihoods, support inclusive economic growth, and build a more resilient and equitable economy in India.

The Grant Thornton Bharat approach

The WEE programme strategy is rooted in a Local Economic Development (LED) approach designed to create sustainable pathways to empower rural women, improve their livelihoods, and foster institutional growth. This approach prioritises strengthening institutions, building capacity, integrating technology, and advocating for policy changes to ensure lasting economic empowerment for women across multiple states.

The initiative shifts from traditional models to a more innovative, transformative approach. While conventional models often work with isolated producers and SHGs, relying primarily on direct infrastructure funding, the new model organises producers and SHGs into clusters, forming producer organisations that enhance collective capabilities. Key elements of this approach – such as institution building, technology integration, and visibility — drive a non-linear transformation, ensuring the initiative is both sustainable and impactful for rural livelihoods.

Way forward

The programme has empowered rural women across six states, 24 districts, and 120 clusters, impacting more than 2 million women. Key impacts include creating a robust ecosystem that significantly improves women’s women's livelihoods in participating regions.

In the future, the programme is likely to focus on disseminating learnings to new states, scaling impactful approaches with government support, and designing supportive policies that sustain these efforts.

Scaling initiatives in partnership with the government

Diffusion of learnings to other states

Integrating models into state-level policy frameworks

The asset mapping model, piloted in Jharkhand, can be a blueprint for other states, with frameworks customised to local needs. Strengthening gender budgeting and forming productive partnerships also creates replicable models for expansion.

Pilot initiatives such as crop diversification, asset mapping, women-friendly marketplaces (mandis), and Darjeeling's women entrepreneurship model show significant potential for scaling through partnerships with state governments. Additional pilot projects should be identified and scaled to maximise impact at the state level.

State policies should integrate a sustainable approach, including provisions for using vacant government assets by women-led cooperatives and FPOs. The J-Samarth Policy can serve as a foundational model to support women-led enterprises, with policy advocacy and convergence ensuring long-term, scalable impact.