Access to affordable and timely credit is a critical component of women's empowerment because it enables women to establish enterprises, enhance livelihoods, improve household income, and achieve financial independence. In India, the government has introduced several initiatives and schemes to ensure that rural and urban women have greater access to institutional credit, entrepreneurship support, and financial inclusion. These initiatives aim to reduce dependence on informal moneylenders, encourage self-employment, and strengthen women's participation in economic development. One of the most significant initiatives is the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), also known as Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana (DAY-NRLM). It promotes the formation of women Self-Help Groups (SHGs), which mobilize savings, provide internal lending, and facilitate access to bank credit. SHGs are linked with banks under the SHG-Bank Linkage Programme, enabling members to obtain low-interest loans for agriculture, livestock, handicrafts, food processing, and micro-enterprises. Interest subvention is also provided to eligible SHGs, making credit more affordable. The SHG-Bank Linkage Programme, implemented by NABARD, has emerged as one of the world's largest microfinance initiatives. It integrates informal women's groups with formal banking institutions, allowing poor women to build creditworthiness through collective savings and repayment discipline. This programme has significantly increased financial inclusion in rural areas. The Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) provides collateral-free loans to micro and small entrepreneurs under Shishu, Kishore, and Tarun categories. A substantial proportion of Mudra loans are sanctioned to women entrepreneurs engaged in retail trade, manufacturing, services, and home-based businesses. The scheme encourages women to establish and expand enterprises