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The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has initiated a nationwide roadmap for women-led rural marketing ecosystems through the SHE-MART (Self Help Entrepreneurs–Marketing Avenues for Rural Transformation) initiative announced in the Union Budget 2026. A two-day National Consultationorganised by Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) was held in Bhubaneswar, hosted by the Odisha Livelihoods Mission under the state's Mission Shakti Department, to finalise operational guidelines for national rollout.

What is SHE-MART?

SHE-MART is a Government of India initiative under DAY-NRLM to create community-owned, women-led retail and aggregation platforms at the cluster-level federation of Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Unlike conventional subsidy-driven retail outlets, SHE-MARTs are envisioned as decentralised, professionally managed enterprise ecosystems that provide SHG members direct, structured access to formal markets — without intermediaries.

Products supported under SHE-MARTs include SHG-made goods across sectors: handicrafts, textiles, food products, agricultural produce, and value-added processed items.

Key Features

• Community Ownership: Retail outlets are owned and managed by women's collectives within cluster-level federations — ensuring governance remains with the community rather than external agencies.
• Market Integration: SHE-MARTs provide permanent retail infrastructure and aggregation points, reducing dependence on informal and exploitative marketing channels.
• Economic Value Chain Progression: The initiative explicitly aims to shift women from income generation to enterprise ownership — transforming SHG members from earners to business owners with control over branding, pricing, and distribution.
• Convergence with VB-GRAM-G: The consultation highlighted significant convergence opportunities between SHE-MARTs and the VB-GRAM-G initiative — particularly in women-centric infrastructure development, demand generation, and market support systems.
• Technology Integration: Discussions covered technology-enabled business processes, monitoring mechanisms, and professional retail management systems while preserving community governance.

Institutional Context and Strategic Vision

The consultation brought together Senior officials from State Rural Livelihoods Missions (SRLMs), NABARD, financial institutions, development practitioners, and sector experts. The MoRD Additional Secretary emphasised that SHE-MARTs must evolve as community-owned platforms rather than subsidy-dependent structures — a critical design principle distinguishing this initiative from earlier rural retail schemes.

Odisha's experience through Mission Shakti in building decentralised women-led enterprise ecosystems was highlighted as a replicable model for other states.

The Ministry reaffirmed its overarching target of creating three crore additional LakhpatiDidis by 2029 — women SHG members earning over ?1 lakh annually — with SHE-MARTs serving as a critical vehicle for scaling enterprise incomes beyond basic livelihood support.