The National Rural Livelihood Mission
(NRLM) and Policy Watch India Foundation have joined hands with India’s homegrown e-
commerce platform, Flipkart, to transform the lives of women entrepreneurs from Self-Help
Groups (SHGs) in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Through this partnership,
products crafted by these talented women will be showcased and sold on Flipkart’s online
marketplace. A workshop was organized on Friday to facilitate this initiative. Ms. Soma
Thakur, MLA from Bagdah and senior officials from Flipkart were present at the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Shantanu Thakur, Union Minister of State for Ports,
Shipping, and Waterways, said, “Our esteemed Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji has a
grand vision—to transform 30 million rural women across the country into ‘Lakhpati Didis’.
This means that every sister in our villages should be able to earn an annual income of at
least one lakh rupees with dignity, right from her own home. This training camp and
workshop is the means to translate that very resolve into reality.”
There is no shortage of talent in North 24 Parganas and the handicrafts they create, the
sarees they weave, and the organic products they prepare are truly unmatched in quality, he
said and added, “The only thing missing was that you were unable to secure a fair price or
access a larger market for your hard work. Middlemen used to take advantage of your
efforts. But that will not happen anymore.”
At the event, the Flipkart team discussed in detail the schemes being implemented for
women’s self-help groups in North 24 Parganas. The Flipkart team provided training to the
women from these self-help groups during the event. Women entrepreneurs also shared
their experiences on this occasion.
Flipkart’s unique initiative to create ‘Lakhpati Didis’ in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal
