Government to set up SHE Marts to promote women entrepreneurs

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a new initiative in the Union Budget aimed at enabling women to transition from credit-led livelihoods to enterprise ownership, building on the progress made under the Lakhpati Didi Programme.

Presenting the Budget in Parliament, she said the government will support women in taking the “next step” by creating community-owned retail platforms called Self-Help Entrepreneur (SHE) Marts. These outlets will be established within cluster-level federations of women’s self-help groups (SHGs).

The initiative seeks to shift women’s economic participation from small, credit-based income activities towards ownership and control of enterprises.

The proposed SHE Marts will function as retail outlets for products made or traded by women-led enterprises associated with SHGs.

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These SHE Marts will be community-owned, ensuring collective ownership and local management by women’s groups. The government plans to support the initiative through enhanced and innovative financing instruments, aimed at improving access to capital and enabling sustainable business operations.

Lakhpati Didi Programme

The announcement builds on the Lakhpati Didi Programme, which focuses on enabling women members of self-help groups to achieve an annual household income of at least Rs 1 lakh through diversified livelihood activities. The new proposal is intended to deepen these gains by supporting enterprise creation, market access and value-chain participation.

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Cluster-level federations play a key role in organising and scaling SHG activities by aggregating production, facilitating credit linkages and coordinating marketing efforts. Locating SHE Marts within these federations is expected to leverage existing institutional structures and reduce operational barriers for women entrepreneurs.

While specific implementation details, timelines and funding allocations will be announced later, the proposal signals a policy emphasis on women-led enterprises, collective ownership models and local retail infrastructure.

The initiative forms part of the government’s broader strategy to promote women’s economic empowerment through entrepreneurship, access to finance and market linkages, as outlined in the Union Budget.

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