Women Workforce Key to India’s Growth; ‘She Marts’ to Boost Female Entrepreneurship!

India must increase women’s participation in the workforce to 55 per cent by 2050 to achieve sustained economic growth, the Economic Survey has stated. Recognising this need, the Union government has rolled out the concept of She Marts to strengthen women-led enterprises. In Warangal district, a Rural Mart was established two years ago at Rayaparthy mandal headquarters under the Swarna Bharathi Mandal Samakhya, with support from NABARD. Products manufactured by women Self Help Group (SHG) members are being sold here at prices 5 to 20 per cent lower than market rates, offering both affordability to consumers and income security to women producers.

In the Union Budget, the Centre proposed setting up She Mart retail outlets as part of the expansion of the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ scheme, aimed at transforming women into entrepreneurs, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced. Through She Marts, SHG women and women entrepreneurs will receive marketing and branding support for their products. Prior to this, women from rural and urban areas will be trained in business management, production, and sales. Skill-trained women will also be provided access to bank credit. Under the Lakhpati Didi initiative, extensive surveys have been conducted to track household incomes, with over 42,000 women registered against a target of 30,386 in 2024–25, underscoring strong participation.