- Five rural women entrepreneurs from Madhya Pradesh felicitated by NITI Aayog and Reliance Foundation for transforming local kirana stores into engines of economic opportunity
- RWKE pilot programme equips women with financial, digital, market and business-planning skills to grow their enterprises with confidence
- 108 women entrepreneurs across three Madhya Pradesh districts receive structured training through 175+ sessions and 1,200+ hours of learning
- ₹1 lakh grants honour five outstanding entrepreneurs whose journeys demonstrate that business leadership can begin from any village, town or kirana counter
- The initiative sends a powerful message to women across rural India: entrepreneurship need not begin with a big office—sometimes, it begins with the courage to take the first step
NE FEATURES BUREAU
NEW DELHI, JULY 23
A kirana shop may begin with a modest counter, a few shelves and a determined woman behind them. But with knowledge, confidence and access to opportunity, that small enterprise can become a family’s financial foundation—and a community’s inspiration.
Five women entrepreneurs from Madhya Pradesh have now demonstrated precisely that.
Their stories of resilience, adaptability and entrepreneurial courage were celebrated at a special felicitation ceremony organised by the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), incubated at NITI Aayog, in partnership with Reliance Foundation, under the Empowering Rural Women Kirana Entrepreneurs (RWKEs) ATR pilot programme.
The five outstanding Rural Women Kirana Entrepreneurs (RWKEs) were felicitated at NITI Aayog in the presence of Joram Aniya, Member, NITI Aayog; Anna Roy, Mission Director, WEP and Programme Director, NITI Aayog; Deepthi Nukalapati, Chief – Women Empowerment, Reliance Foundation; and Sonal Jaitly, Associate Partner and Global Lead – GEDSI, MicroSave Consulting (MSC).
Each of the five entrepreneurs received a grant of ₹1 lakh in recognition of her entrepreneurial commitment, progress and determination to build a stronger future through enterprise.
The message is clear: Women can build businesses—and communities
The felicitation was more than a celebration of five individual achievements.
It was a powerful message to thousands of women across rural India who may possess the ambition to start or expand a business but hesitate because of limited access to finance, digital tools, market knowledge or business guidance.
The five entrepreneurs shared their learning experiences and their vision for the future, explaining how the knowledge and techniques acquired during the training programme had helped them look at their businesses with greater confidence and clarity.
Their journeys underline an important truth: a woman does not have to wait for perfect conditions to become an entrepreneur. She can begin where she is, with what she has—and grow with the right support.
From three districts to a movement of rural women entrepreneurs
The RWKE pilot programme, an initiative of Reliance Foundation in partnership with WEP and implemented with MicroSave Consulting as the technical partner, is strengthening women-led kirana stores across Barwani, Vidisha and Raisen districts of Madhya Pradesh.
The programme recognises the crucial role played by rural women entrepreneurs in supporting household incomes, ensuring local access to essential goods and strengthening village economies.
At the same time, it acknowledges the structural barriers that often limit the growth of women-led enterprises.
The programme has therefore focused on four critical areas:
- Financial capability
- Digital adoption
- Market orientation
- Business planning
These are not merely training modules.
For a rural woman entrepreneur, they can mean the difference between simply running a shop and understanding how to build a sustainable business.
1,200+ hours of learning, 175+ sessions and 108 women
Since its launch, the RWKE programme has delivered more than 1,200 hours of structured learning through 175+ training sessions across six blocks:
- Barwani
- Pati
- Ganj Basoda
- Vidisha
- Obedullaganj
- Sanchi
Across three districts, the programme has reached 108 women entrepreneurs.
The training was delivered in local languages through participatory sessions, making the learning practical, accessible and directly relevant to the day-to-day realities of rural business.
The women were equipped with skills ranging from:
Budgeting to bookkeeping.
Supplier linkages to inventory management.
Digital adoption to market access.
Business planning to enterprise growth strategies.
The objective was not simply to provide information, but to help women apply knowledge to real business decisions.
When a kirana store becomes a woman’s economic identity
Across rural India, women-led kirana stores are emerging as vital nodes in local supply chains and community economies.
They provide essential goods close to home.
They support household incomes.
They create local economic activity.
And increasingly, they are becoming platforms for women to exercise financial decision-making and entrepreneurial leadership.
Yet many women entrepreneurs continue to face barriers related to access to formal finance, digital technology, market information, inventory management and business planning.
The RWKE programme seeks to address these gaps through structured capacity-building and sustained handholding support.
The larger vision is clear: when women-led enterprises become stronger, families become more resilient and local economies become more vibrant.
A collaborative model for women’s economic empowerment
The initiative highlights the impact that can be created when public and private sector institutions work together with technical partners and grassroots communities.
By combining:
- Institutional support from NITI Aayog’s WEP;
- Women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship support from Reliance Foundation;
- Technical expertise and implementation support from MSC; and
- The determination of women entrepreneurs on the ground,
the programme has created a structured pathway for rural women to strengthen their enterprises.
It demonstrates that women’s entrepreneurship does not grow through inspiration alone.
It needs training, mentoring, market access, financial capability, digital confidence and sustained institutional support.
One woman’s success can inspire an entire village
The five women felicitated in Delhi are now more than successful entrepreneurs.
They are role models.
Their achievements can inspire other women to ask:
Why not me?
Why can’t a woman start a kirana store?
Why can’t she expand it?
Why can’t she learn digital payments, manage inventory, access formal finance and plan for growth?
Why can’t her enterprise become a source of employment and inspiration for others?
The RWKE programme’s most powerful contribution may ultimately be this change in mindset.
It tells women that entrepreneurship is not reserved for those living in big cities or possessing large capital.
Sometimes, it begins with a small shop, a determined woman and the courage to believe that her enterprise can grow—and so can she.
