Women Entrepreneurs at the Centre of Uttar Pradesh's Technology-led Livelihood Transformation

VMPL
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 19: Married at a young age in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, Suman Gautam spent years struggling with poverty and limited opportunities. Through a women's self-help group, she started small trading ventures but recognised mobility as her biggest constraint. Learning to drive an e-rickshaw became her breakthrough - defying social norms to expand her reach and earning a decent livelihood while building a sanitary pad distribution network across 30 villages. Suman now is a serial entrepreneur determined to empower more women, exemplifying how technology has enabled women to dismantle barriers and create opportunity-driven enterprises.
Suman's journey reflects a larger transformation underway across Uttar Pradesh - one shaped by intentional ecosystem building where government, financial institutions, technology developers, civil society, and women's institutions work in concert. Government initiatives including one of the biggest national schemes 'Lakhpati Didi' mark a progressive approach to development, recognising women drivers of economic transformation and local growth. These programmes are creating pathways from subsistence to scalable enterprise through diversified livelihoods, clean technologies, and access to non-traditional sectors.
On 18 December 2025, a convening on 'Livelihood-Centric Technologies for Promotion of Women-Led Entrepreneurship in Uttar Pradesh' brought together diverse actors including government, technology developers, women entrepreneurs, and sector experts to explore how enterprise-ready technologies can scale women-run businesses across the state. The event was organised in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM), the Science for Equity, Empowerment and Development (SEED) Division of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Development Alternatives (DA), and Vigyan Ashram (VA), at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, Lucknow. The event focused on affordable, adaptable, and scalable solutions across energy, food processing, water, sanitation, building materials, waste management, and agriculture. An exhibition showcased innovations including a Biomass Cookstove and Solar Fridge by Sardar Patel Renewable Energy Research Institute (SPRERI), Solar Hydro Distiller by IIT Bombay-Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG), Sabjee Cooler by RuKart, and Multi-Purpose Food Processor by Kisaan Dharambir, technologies designed for local conditions, demonstrating practical pathways for value addition and enterprise growth.
"When I started, no one believed a woman could drive an e-rickshaw or run a business," shared Suman Gautam, speaking at the event. "But technology gave me freedom--the e-rickshaw gave me mobility, and the sanitary pad business gave me purpose. Today I work in 30 villages, but my dream is bigger. I want every woman to know that poverty is not permanent, that we can build businesses that support our families and communities."
Her voice was one of many women entrepreneurs who shared experiences of building technology-based businesses, surfacing practical learnings and real-world challenges during the event. These narratives revealed what works: technology adoption succeeds when innovations address real constraints women face - mobility, time poverty, capital intensity, market access. Scaling from pilots to widespread adoption requires aligning support systems, market linkages, and financial products with the realities of women-led enterprises.
Chief Guest Smt. Deepa Ranjan, IAS, Mission Director, UPSRLM, toured the exhibition and engaged with women entrepreneurs, exploring how technologies can be effectively integrated into livelihood programmes. The roundtable discussion on "Scaling Innovations and Breaking Barriers" examined what it takes to move innovations from pilots to adoption at scale. The conversation underscored that technology alone is insufficient; sustainable transformation requires the alignment of institutional finance, skills development, peer networks, and market access around women's entrepreneurial potential.
The event advanced this agenda by strengthening collaboration between UPSRLM and the SEED Division of DST, connecting rural livelihood institutions with socially relevant technologies supported under the national TAP-RISE (Technology Acceleration Platform for Rural Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship) initiative. Technology spotlight sessions offered insights into enterprise-ready solutions across energy, water and sanitation, and agriculture, while networking interactions built concrete linkages between women's institutions, technology providers, and support organisations.
Women like Suman are not just participating in Uttar Pradesh's economy - they are reshaping it. By bringing together science, technology, and rural enterprise systems, the convening demonstrated that when government, technology developers, financial institutions, and women entrepreneurs work as partners, innovation translates into sustainable livelihoods and inclusive economic growth.
Key Quotes:
Ms. Deepa Ranjan, IAS, Mission Director, UPSRLM -
"The vision is to enable Lakhpati Didis to go beyond existing limits and become Crorepati Didis. A clear vision and strong entrepreneurial mindset are essential to setting up successful enterprises. Over one crore women entrepreneurs from Uttar Pradesh are part of the UPSRLM programme. Participants are encouraged to explore affordable technologies supported by Development Alternatives (DA) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST). Such technologies motivate women to start their own enterprises, become financially independent, and build sustainable livelihoods."
Mr. Janmay Jai Shukla, Joint Mission Director, UPSRLM-
"UPSRLM actively promotes innovative, technology-based enterprises to help women increase their incomes and motivate other women to follow the same path. The progress seen in regions such as Jhansi, Mirzapur, and Sonbhadra, where women are becoming Lakhpati Didis, shows that it is now possible for them to move further and become Crorepati Didis. Targets are not limitations; with the right mindset and effort, it is always possible to go beyond set targets by not restricting one's own potential."
Mr. Shrashtant Patara, Chief Executive Officer, Development Alternatives -
"When the need for change is recognised and effectively addressed through appropriate technologies, it provides an initial push, allowing the technology to gain momentum and accelerate as more people understand the need and adopt the solution."
Dr. Yogesh Kulkarni, Executive Director, Vigyan Ashram - "The focus is on the Technology Acceleration Platform to promote rural innovation, strengthen social entrepreneurship, and accelerate technologies that enhance livelihoods."
Ms. Kanika Verma, Executive Vice President, Development Alternatives- She highlights "the One Million Livelihood Mission and its significant impact on the lives of rural women, stating that the initiative enables women not only to become self-reliant but also to create employment opportunities for at least two other women through a single enterprise, thereby strengthening local livelihoods and community-based economic growth."
About:
TAP-RISE | Department of Science and Technology | Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission | Development Alternatives | Vigram Ashram |
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