The Union Ministry of Cooperation announced the launch of a retail initiative called “She-Mart” designed to help women Self-Help Groups and rural women entrepreneurs access markets directly. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah inaugurated the scheme on 26 September 2024 at an event in Kollam, Kerala. The initiative is part of the Government’s broader vision of “Sahkar se Samriddhi”, which aims to strengthen rural economies through cooperative institutions and women-led development.
Key facts
- More than 300 She-Mart shops will open across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
- The National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) operates over 2,500 existing retail outlets that will support She-Mart
- Kerala has more than 23,000 active cooperative societies
- Onions will be sold at subsidised rate of Rs 35 per kilogram through NAFED mobile vans
- Approximately 36 crore women have opened bank accounts under Government schemes
- The target is to create 6 crore Lakhpati Didis (women earning at least 1 lakh rupees annually) by 2029
- Women’s labour force participation has risen from 23 percent in 2017-18 to 40 percent currently
- Nearly 6 lakh women farmers are associated with NCCF
- About 8 lakh farmers are associated with NAFED
What is She-Mart
She-Mart is a retail initiative launched to bridge the gap between women entrepreneurs and consumers. Under this scheme, women Self-Help Groups and rural women entrepreneurs can sell their products directly to the public without intermediaries. The shops will stock products made or processed by these groups alongside affordable essential commodities branded as “Bharat” products.
The initiative connects women producers at every stage of the value chain. This includes procurement of raw materials, processing, branding, packaging and finally selling directly to retail customers. By removing middlemen, women entrepreneurs can earn higher margins on their products.
Supporting products and programmes
Alongside She-Mart, the Government launched the sale of “Janah” products, a brand by NCCF focused on fish and marine products. Mobile vans operated by NAFED and NCCF will distribute subsidised onions and essential commodities like “Bharat Atta” (flour) and “Bharat Rice” to make nutritious food affordable for ordinary citizens.
Under the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, the Government is distributing free urad and gram seeds to women farmers to boost pulses cultivation. Through the NAFED-Kalyan Scholarship Scheme, daughters of registered farmers receive educational scholarships. These schemes aim to support both agricultural productivity and household welfare.
Connection to Ministry of Cooperation
The Ministry of Cooperation was established in 2021 to strengthen cooperative institutions across rural India. Cooperative societies are member-owned organisations that allow farmers and producers to pool resources, reduce costs and access better markets. By launching She-Mart through cooperative federations like NCCF, the Government is using this existing network to rapidly scale women entrepreneur initiatives across multiple states.
Women empowerment focus
The Government views women’s economic empowerment as central to broader household and community prosperity. The Ministry has supported this through multiple channels: opening bank accounts for 36 crore women to ensure financial inclusion, prohibiting Triple Talaq to protect women’s rights, and recruiting women officers in the Armed Forces. The Lakhpati Didi scheme, which targets women earning at least 1 lakh rupees annually, had already created 3 crore such women by 2024 and aims to reach 6 crore by 2029.
What this means for you
If you are a woman entrepreneur or member of a Self-Help Group, She-Mart offers a formal retail outlet to sell products without seeking permission from big retailers. You can access NCCF’s procurement, branding and logistics support to scale your business.
If you are a consumer, She-Mart shops will offer competitively priced goods from local women producers alongside affordable “Bharat” brand essentials. NAFED mobile vans selling onions at Rs 35 per kilogram provide relief during price spikes.
If you are a farmer’s daughter, the NAFED-Kalyan Scholarship Scheme may provide educational support. If you farm pulses, free seed distribution under the Aatmanirbharta mission reduces input costs.
What happens next
The Ministry plans to establish over 300 She-Mart shops across Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. These will operate in coordination with NCCF’s existing 2,500 retail outlets to ensure logistics and supply chain integration. Additional Memorandums of Understanding were signed to integrate fisheries products and ensure consistent supply to the new shops across the three states.