Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh on Monday, 27 July 2026, shared a post on X applauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's praise for Bijnor's herbal tea, calling it a symbol of women's empowerment and an example of grassroots entrepreneurship flourishing under government initiatives.

The minister's post, captioned 'बिजनौर की हर्बल टी को पीएम मोदी की सराहना, महिला शक्ति की मिसाल' ('PM Modi's praise for Bijnor's herbal tea — an example of women's power'), amplified the Prime Minister's recognition of women-led micro-enterprises producing herbal tea in the Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh.

Context

Bijnor, a district in western Uttar Pradesh, has emerged as a hub for women's self-help group (SHG) activity in the herbal and natural products space. The district's herbal tea, produced and marketed by local women entrepreneurs, has drawn attention as a model of community-led economic participation. Prime Minister Modi's acknowledgement of this product is consistent with his broader 'vocal for local' messaging, which encourages Indians to champion domestically produced goods.

Policy Backdrop

The success of Bijnor's herbal tea sits within a well-established policy framework. The One District One Product (ODOP) scheme, launched in 2018, was designed to identify and promote a distinctive product from each district, channelling government support toward marketing, packaging, and value addition. Herbal and natural items have been a recurring category under the scheme in Uttar Pradesh.

Complementing ODOP is the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), which has supported women's SHGs since 2011 by providing credit access, skill training, and market linkages for value-added products. Together, these programmes have created an enabling environment for women in districts like Bijnor to move up the value chain from raw agriculture to branded consumer goods.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of this recognition are the women self-help groups and herbal product makers of Bijnor. A public endorsement from the Prime Minister, amplified by a senior Union Minister, typically translates into heightened consumer interest and can open doors to larger retail and institutional procurement channels. For the Textiles Ministry, which increasingly intersects with natural fibre and herbal value chains in Uttar Pradesh clusters, such visibility reinforces the ministry's stake in promoting women-led enterprise beyond conventional textile manufacturing.

The broader Atmanirbhar Bharat framework — under which both ODOP and DAY-NRLM operate — positions district-level success stories as proof of concept for self-reliant, women-driven local economies. Giriraj Singh's amplification of this narrative signals the central government's intent to keep such stories in public focus.

What's Next

Observers will watch for any additional ODOP-linked incentives targeting herbal and natural products, particularly in Uttar Pradesh clusters. Parliamentary questions on women enterprise funding within the textiles sector are also likely to reference high-profile examples such as Bijnor's herbal tea as the budget cycle progresses. If the Prime Minister's praise is formalised — through a scheme recognition or a GI tag process — it could significantly scale the product's market reach beyond the district.