Skill Upgradation & Mahila Coir Yojana (MCY)

The Skill Upgradation & Mahila Coir Yojana trains and empowers rural women artisans in the coir industry. It provides skill development, financial support, and promotes self-employment. Women can start or upgrade businesses producing coir products like mats, ropes, and other fibre goods.

Highlights

  • Focuses on skill development and self-employment for women in coir-producing areas.
  • Offers training with stipend support and subsidised equipment.
  • Encourages entrepreneurship among women artisans to boost rural employment.

What is Skill Upgradation & Mahila Coir Yojana?

  • The scheme aims to train supervisors, instructors, and artisans in the coir sector 
  • The scheme aims to  transfer technology to new areas, and assist women artisans in procuring modern equipment 
  • The scheme focuses on providing rural women self-employment and promoting entrepreneurship in both traditional and non-traditional coir sectors. 
  • The scheme provides stipends to support trainees during learning 
  • The scheme provides financial help to buy coir production equipment at subsidized rates

Objectives

  • Empower women artisans by building their technical and entrepreneurial skills.
  • Create sustainable self-employment opportunities in coir production.
  • Modernise coir products and production techniques through skill upgradation.
  • Boost rural incomes and promote inclusive growth.

Benefits of Skill Upgradation & Mahila Coir Scheme

  • Skill Training with Stipend
    Receive hands-on training with a monthly stipend of around ₹3,000 to support you while learning new coir production skills.
  • Subsidized Equipment
    Get coir-spinning and related machinery at reduced prices to set up or upgrade your business affordably.
  • Self-Employment
    Launch or expand your own coir-related unit, helping generate income and employment locally.
  • Women Empowerment
    The scheme strengthens women’s economic independence in rural communities.

Financial Assistance Under the Skill Upgradation & Mahila Coir Scheme

Component 

Assistance 

Skill Upgradation - Orientation training & Field level training 

  • Stipend - ₹3,000 per trainee per month (on pro-rata for shorter courses).
  • Trainer honorarium: ₹15,000 per month
  • Sponsoring agency support: ₹400 per trainee per month for raw material, power, etc.

Entrepreneur Development Programmes (EDPs)

Expenditure capped at ₹1,00,000 per EDP

Exposure Tours - For entrepreneurs & artisans to visit coir units making value-added products.

  • For Entrepreneurs: 50% of travel cost (AC 2-tier train fare limit).
  • For Artisans (cooperatives/SHGs via State Govt.): 90% reimbursement (AC 2-tier train fare limit).

Expenditure capped at ₹1,00,000 (actual cost reimbursed for A&N Islands & North Eastern Region).

Awareness Programmes - to spread knowledge of Coir Board schemes

Expenditure capped at ₹30,000 per programme

Workshops - for industry/training purposes

Expenditure capped at ₹65,000 per workshop

Seminars 

  • Expenditure capped for National Seminar at ₹5,00,000
  • Expenditure capped for Regional Seminar at ₹3,00,000

Expenditure capped for State Seminar at ₹2,00,000

Financial assistance for machinery/equipment procurement available under PMEGP

Maximum project cost eligible: ₹25 lakhs (for setting up new coir units)

Eligibility for the Skill Upgradation & Mahila Coir Scheme

You are eligible if:

  • You are a woman artisan involved in or interested in coir production.
  • You reside in coir-producing rural areas or belong to the traditional coir sector.
  • You are willing to attend training and start or improve a coir-related business.

You are not eligible if:

  • You are not women worker involved in coir-related activities 
  • You have already received assistance from this scheme before for the same purpose.

Documents Required for Skill Upgradation & Mahila Coir Scheme

  • Aadhar card or any government ID proof.
  • Proof of address
  • Caste Certificate (if applicable)
  • Bank account details
  • Passport-sized photographs

Application Process for Skill Upgradation & Mahila Coir Scheme

You can apply:

  • Offline by visiting a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), Self Help Groups (SHGs), or Government organisation registered with the Coir Board or on the NITI Aayog's Darpan portal.

Examples of Where the Mahila Coir Yojana for Women Can Be Used

  • Sita produced coir yarn manually, under PMEGP (linked to MCY) she got credit  to purchase 2 spinning machines 
  • Meenakshi joined skill upgradation training program by Coir Board and now she has set up her own small coir unit for mat manufacturing 
  • A group of 15 rural women, engaged in coconut husk collection enrolled for training under MCY and availed credit under PMEGP

Related Schemes

Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP)

Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP)

Guide to get up to ₹50 Lakh for your startup.

Skill Upgradation & Mahila Coir Yojana (MCY)