New Delhi, October 08, 2026: Punjab’s PEHEL initiative is combining credit, technology and structured enterprise support to help women from self-help groups (SHGs) start and grow businesses. Led by the Punjab Development Commission (PDC) and implemented through the Department of Rural Development, the programme is being developed in collaboration with the Gates Foundation, Leap 300 and RoundGlass Foundation.

PEHEL aims to help women move beyond access to credit by supporting them in identifying viable businesses, preparing before receiving funds and launching enterprises with continued assistance. The programme plans to create more than 1.5 lakh women entrepreneurs over the next five years.

Under the initiative, Leap 300 has added a 300-day technology-enabled entrepreneurship journey to Punjab’s existing SHG credit system. The model combines support from Sakhis, digital learning and an AI-powered Vyapar Mitra to help women select businesses, prepare for launch and receive post-launch support.

The programme has reported an increase in loans facilitated per month per block from around four to 25, while the reported time required to launch a business has declined from roughly three months to 12 days. So far, 237 women across 50 villages have received ₹1.1 crore in credit, with 100% repayment reported to date.

The share of first-time entrepreneurs has also increased from 15% to 45%, while participating women have started businesses across 51 categories, including tailoring, beauty services, tuition centres, electronics, food businesses and repair services. Participation in post-launch support has remained above 90%.

Seema Bansal, Vice-Chairperson, Punjab Development Commission, said, “PEHEL was created to help women translate access to credit into economic opportunity. The results show what becomes possible when finance is combined with the right business choice, structured support and technology.”

Vinod Raghuwanshi, Co-Founder, Leap 300, said, “Credit opens the door. The real breakthrough is helping every woman know what to build before the money arrives — and supporting her as that business grows.”

One of the beneficiaries, Manjeet Kaur from Munsiwala village in Sangrur, started a beauty parlour while her husband operates a kulcha cart. According to the programme, the two businesses have together nearly doubled the household’s earlier income, which was primarily dependent on her husband’s factory earnings.

PEHEL is currently expanding from four blocks in Sangrur to nine blocks across Sangrur and Rupnagar. Over the longer term, the programme plans to reach approximately one lakh women across Punjab over four years through the state’s existing SHG, credit and frontline infrastructure.

An evaluation of the model is also planned across the 300-day programme to assess changes in income, businesses and household outcomes.