Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Saturday, 10 October inaugurated 136 Gram Haats at bus stations across 27 districts of Gujarat, creating dedicated retail outlets for products made by women's self-help groups known as Sakhi Mandals. The launch, held at Race Course Ground in Rajkot, was accompanied by the inauguration of a three-day Saras Mela and a raft of new initiatives aimed at bolstering rural women's economic standing.

What the Gram Haats Offer

The Gram Haats, managed directly by Sakhi Mandals, are designed to give rural women permanent, accessible outlets to sell handicrafts, homemade food products, and other locally produced goods. By situating these stalls at bus stations — high-footfall transit points — the initiative aims to connect village-level producers with a broader consumer base, supporting the Centre's 'Vocal for Local' push.

Members of self-help groups at the event noted that stall space had been allotted to them without any rental charges, reducing the entry barrier for smaller producers.

Key Announcements by the Chief Minister

Addressing the gathering, Patel said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision was to make women active partners in development rather than passive beneficiaries of government programmes. He highlighted that facilities had also been created at railway stations to market self-help group products, extending the retail network beyond road transport hubs.

Patel disclosed that approximately 30 lakh rural women associated with 2.5 lakh Sakhi Mandals across Gujarat are currently earning income through their skills. He added that the state government had disbursed ₹800 crore in assistance during the previous year to support women's economic empowerment, and indicated readiness to scale up support in coming years.

The Chief Minister also noted that more than 8.5 lakh women in Gujarat have become Lakhpati Didis — a designation for women who have achieved an annual household income of at least ₹1 lakh through livelihood activities.

Institutional Partnerships and MoUs

The Gujarat Livelihood Promotion Company (GLPC) signed 13 memorandums of understanding with organisations and government departments to strengthen the marketing and distribution of self-help group products. Partners include the Railways, Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC), the Cooperation and Animal Husbandry departments, Amul, the Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA), the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Sardar Patel Agricultural University, and several banks.

Patel also announced that reputed institutions — including NIFT and MICA — would provide mentorship and guidance to women aspiring to become digital entrepreneurs, broadening the programme's scope beyond physical retail.

Financial Disbursements and Other Benefits

At the event, cash credit cheques worth ₹45 lakh and Amul parlour allotment letters were distributed to self-help groups. Groups engaged in dairy activities received cash credit cheques worth ₹40 lakh, while other Sakhi Mandals received cheques totalling ₹1,08,640 under an e-commerce incentive scheme.

Additionally, Chief Minister Patel allotted free residential plots to 139 families belonging to nomadic and denotified communities in Rajkot district. The event was attended by Rajkot Mayor Nehal Shukla, Member of Parliament Parshottam Rupala, local legislators, and senior state and district administration officials.

Broader Significance

This comes amid a national push to formalise and scale rural women's self-help group economies, with similar Saras Mela formats operating across multiple states under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) framework. Gujarat's move to embed Gram Haats within existing transit infrastructure — rather than building standalone markets — is a cost-efficient model that other states may look to replicate. How effectively these outlets are sustained beyond inaugural momentum will determine whether the initiative delivers lasting income gains for Sakhi Mandal members.