The Union Government has announced a major update for the Lakhpati Didi program in the Union Budget 2026-27. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget on February 1, 2026, and introduced the concept of ‘SHE Marts’ to help women move towards entrepreneurship. The government aims to shift focus from just credit-linked livelihoods to scalable business models for women in rural areas.
What are SHE Marts and how will they work?
The government will set up ‘Self-Help Entrepreneur Marts’, which will be known as SHE Marts. These will be community-owned retail outlets operated under Cluster Level Federations (CLFs). The main purpose of these marts is to provide a proper marketplace for products made by women. This step ensures that women do not remain limited to small loans but become full-time entrepreneurs with a designated place to sell their goods.
How will women get funding and online access?
To support this initiative, the Ministry of Rural Development has developed an end-to-end online loan system. This system will provide innovative financing to help women start and grow their businesses. The government has also made it mandatory to onboard products from Self Help Groups (SHGs) onto major e-commerce platforms. These include the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), ONDC, and eSARAS. The budget also proposes to strengthen logistics and fulfillment infrastructure to support these e-commerce sales.
What are the targets and other benefits?
The government has set a target to create 3 crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’ across the country. Currently, about 1.5 crore women have already achieved this status. To help achieve the remaining target, 50,000 Community Resource Persons will receive training in enterprise promotion. Additionally, the budget includes a provision to build a ‘Girls Hostel’ in every district to support education and skill development for young women.
