Lucknow, September 15 (Daily Kiran) : Women in Uttar Pradesh are gearing up to challenge major companies in the global market. Under the guidance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, 543 Prerna Saras stores have been established to connect self-help group products with larger markets. Additionally, over 3,000 products now have dedicated online and offline marketing platforms, paving the way for branding, sales, and digital market access for rural products.
These self-help group products will soon reach broader markets through platforms like ONDC, e-Saras, Prerna Mart, Meesho, Amazon, and Flipkart. The Prerna Saras stores, set up at the district and block levels, provide an organized sales platform for local products. Meanwhile, digital platforms are expanding their reach beyond villages and districts to national and international markets. For women in self-help groups, access to the market after production is one of their most pressing needs for entrepreneurship.
To strengthen this initiative, the Yogi government has developed a network for branding, packaging, marketing, and selling local products. This strategy allows groups to not only produce goods but also understand market demand, enabling them to expand their small enterprises. Arun Kumar, the director of the Rural Livelihood Mission, emphasized the importance of providing entrepreneurship opportunities rather than limiting women to savings and loans.
As production increases alongside packaging, branding, and market engagement, rural women’s small enterprises are gaining opportunities for expansion. Online marketing has already begun through the Bijnor State Aggregation Center. This initiative is considered a significant step toward organizing the sale and market access of different group products on a single platform, allowing local products to reach customers far and wide. This system will particularly benefit products that have unique identities tied to specific districts or regions.
For women in self-help groups, market access is not just a means to boost sales; it also provides an opportunity to create brand identity and value. The focus is shifting from mere production to branding and marketing through Prerna Saras stores and online-offline platforms.
According to Arun Kumar, connecting to the market enables women to understand the demand for their products and adjust their production and marketing strategies accordingly. This shift allows group activities to evolve from mere livelihoods to small enterprises. The 543 Prerna Saras stores and marketing platforms for over 3,000 products illustrate the changing landscape of rural women entrepreneurship.
Products made in villages will no longer be confined to local sales; they will now reach digital platforms and expand from local to national and international markets. This initiative is opening new avenues for the rural ‘didis’ of Uttar Pradesh, enhancing their local skills with market recognition and brand value, and guiding them toward global business opportunities.
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