Women entrepreneurs in Kolkata and its suburbs are receiving a fresh chance to restart or strengthen businesses after six first-generation founders were awarded grants of ₹2 lakh each over one year. The recipients had started their ventures without inherited capital and later faced financial difficulties that threatened their operations.
The grants were announced under Krittika Samriddhi, an initiative of the Kutchina Foundation. The programme will provide the recipients with financial support as well as training and market linkages, according to information reported by Telegraph India.
Debangshi Biswas Chowdhury, a trans woman, is among the six recipients. She had launched an online business in 2024 but closed it within six months after running into financial difficulties. “Initially, everything was going very well. However, after around six months, I faced financial challenges and couldn’t continue my business. This money will help me to restart my venture,” she said.
For Chowdhury, the grant also carries a wider significance for trans women seeking economic independence. “To acknowledge us in the same space as cisgender women is vital for us. Most projects do not spare a thought for us,” she said. Her inclusion highlights how access to entrepreneurship support can intersect with questions of recognition, dignity and participation in economic life.
The other recipients include a woman from Khardah who is developing a nail art studio and another entrepreneur running a confectionery. The ventures represent small, service-oriented businesses that often depend on the founder’s personal savings and the ability to maintain cash flow during the early stages of operation.
The structure of the support goes beyond a one-time investment. Krittika Samriddhi is expected to connect the entrepreneurs with training programmes and markets, giving the recipients assistance in building business capabilities and reaching customers. The foundation has described access to knowledge, networks and markets as essential to sustaining a venture beyond the initial idea.
“When you are building something for the first time, while the willingness to work is important, the right support at the right time can make a tremendous difference. Building a business takes more than an idea — it takes access to knowledge, people, markets and the confidence to keep moving forward,” said Namit Bajoria, managing director of Kutchina Home Makers Private Limited and chairperson of the Kutchina Foundation.
Bajoria added that he had built his own business without an inherited industrial legacy and began his career as a first-generation industrialist. The foundation’s support model therefore combines direct financial assistance with mentoring and market access, rather than treating capital as the only barrier faced by new entrepreneurs.
The announcement also shows how small-business survival can depend on support arriving at the right stage. In Chowdhury’s case, an online venture was discontinued within six months because of financial hardship. The new assistance is intended to allow her to restart, while the training and market-linkage components will support the broader development of the six businesses over the grant period.
