₹4 crore sanctioned to provide interest subsidy for Kerala’s women-led RT enterprises

In a country-first initiative aimed at strengthening women entrepreneurship in the tourism sector, the Kerala government has come out with a scheme to subsidise 4% interest on loans provided by the Kerala State Women Development Corporation (KSWDC) to women-led enterprises registered with the Kerala Responsible Tourism Mission Society (KRTMS).

The government has accorded administrative sanction of ₹4 crore to implement the project. The interest subsidy will be made available by the Tourism department through the KRTMS to all beneficiaries, including those belonging to the SC/ST communities, minorities, and general category.The subsidy will be eligible for up to ₹15 lakh, even if the loan amount exceeds it.

The State Budget for 2025-26 has made it clear that 50% of the allocation made for responsible tourism (RT) activities will be utilised for women empowerment. According to KRTMS CEO Rupeshkumar K., the initiative has envisaged the creation of a network of women engaged in various tourism-related business and services.

The RT mission has been playing a pivotal role in strengthening gender-inclusive and sustainable tourism model, which also envisages socially and economically empowered local communities, he added.