Online Marketing Portal for Women Entrepreneurs

International Women’s Day brought yet another surprise for the Indian women. In a distinctive initiative towards women empowerment, the government introduced Mahila e-Haat, an online marketing portal for female entrepreneurs. The marketing website will provide access to thousands of women entrepreneurs to showcase the products made by them. Launched by the Women and Child Development Ministry (WCD), the e-platform is seen as a significant step in pushing the new generation of women towards financial independence. The website showcases a wide range of products including home décor, grocery, pottery, carpets, clothing, fashion accessories and many others.

As a part of the `Digital India’ and `Stand Up India’ initiatives by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, the marketing portal solely aims at providing better financial avenues to women entrepreneurs, especially the rural Indian women. Inaugurating the portal, Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Women and Child Development Minister, said, “The website will bring the markets within the reach of the rural women population who generally lack access to far off places. Thus, this marketing portal will help them to sell their products by bringing the buyer and the seller together on one platform.”

With a vision that this initiative will benefit more than 10,000 Self Help Groups (SHGs) and 1.25 Lakh women, The portal is set up from the investment of Rashtriya Mahila Kosh—an autonomous body under the WCD ministry for the socio-economic empowerment of women. Any women or women member of a self-help group above the age of 18 years can display her/their products on the platform free of cost. The ministry has assured that only after 31 December 2016, a nominal one-time fee will be charged.

The entire marketing portal can be handled through a mobile phone and the product will be showcased along with its photograph, details, price and the mobile number and address of the service provider, enabling a direct link between the buyer and the seller.

The Mahila E- Haat is seen as a major step of the government towards the upliftment of socio-economic conditions of the Indian women. The women-centric initiative is a unique platform enabling women to be financially independent and emerge as the new generation business women.

News Source: Live Mint | India Today
Image Source: Mahila E-Haat

She is an energetic and self motivated individual with passion for journalism and women rights. During her early years at the Delhi University, she was the President of her department and led multiple empowerment initiatives for women. Her innate desire to support a cause and bring the right perspective to light, eventually led her to pursue Broadcast Journalism and work in the production team of the India Today News Channel (Headlines Today previously). In her role at India Today, she covered numerous high impact news topics and subsequently mastered the art of unbiased reporting in stressful and time constrained settings. Her never-ending quest for learning led her to pursue teaching and has taught children in various schools in different cities. She focuses on the bright spots in the society and communicates with sense of humor and brevity. In her free time, she loves traveling and exploring the world.