Mumbai, July 29 The Maharashtra Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Tuesday, approved the establishment of 'Umed Mall' (District Sales Centre) in 10 districts under the 'UMED-Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Upliftment Mission' of the Rural Development Department to provide a proper market for the products of women's self-help groups (SHGs) in rural areas.
"A total fund of Rs 200 crore has been approved for the scheme. These malls will be set up with the aim of providing local and national markets for various products of SHGs started to promote entrepreneurship among women in rural areas. In the first phase, these malls will be operationalised in 10 districts and later the scheme will be expanded to other districts in a phased manner," said the government statement.
"A maximum of Rs 20 crore will be spent on each Umed Mall, which will be built on the land of the Zilla Parishad. Each group will be provided with rooms in the malls in a circular manner. There will also be a separate hall for women for communication and training," the statement noted.
The state government will invite proposals from Zilla Parishads for setting up Umed Malls and the districts, where land is available and centrally located, will be selected.
The Chief Executive Officer of Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission will handle the tender process, prepare plans, and implement the work.
The maintenance and repair of Umed Malls will be done by the Zilla Parishads.
Chief Minister Fadnavis, earlier on Tuesday, had acknowledged the remarkable progress of the UMED initiative, which has provided a strong platform for women SHGs to market their products.
Women's SHG products are of superior quality but require strong marketing strategies.
As of 2024, there were 6,08,561 SHGs in Maharashtra.
In 2023-24, 44,000 SHGs were promoted in Maharashtra, and 5.7 lakh rural households were mobilised into SHGs.
He emphasised that SHG products are superior to those of private companies and are available at reasonable prices.
More than 60 lakh families are economically progressing through UMED.
State Rural Development Minister Jaykumar Gore said that the state government is determined to uplift women economically.
The state will ensure a permanent marketplace for SHG products by setting up malls in major district centres and smaller marketing outlets at taluka levels.
Additionally, provisions for individual loans for SHG women entrepreneurs will also be considered.
UMED has transformed millions of women into successful entrepreneurs, and to further boost their sales and market presence, Mahalakshmi Saras is organised annually, Gore added.
--IANS
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