DAY-NRLM and PCI India Scale Women-Led Enterprises

23 Feb 2026 CW Team

The Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development said women’s economic empowerment should be treated as a strategic investment in growth, resilience and social stability and described public procurement as a lever for inclusive state purchasing that can enhance quality and accountability through women-led suppliers. The Additional Secretary, DAY-NRLM, emphasised that linking SHG products and services to public procurement is a strategic priority and called for coordinated action across ministries, states and partners.

A dedicated microsite was launched to guide women-led enterprises in establishing and operationalising enterprises across India and three sector playbooks were unveiled covering housekeeping and laundry, food processing and apparel. A coffee table book documenting enterprise journeys and institutional learnings was also released and development partners including the World Bank and the Gates Foundation were present.

Participants included senior DAY-NRLM officials, state mission directors and SHG entrepreneurs from Rajasthan, Karnataka and Bihar who described practical experiences engaging with procurement systems and identified pathways for scale, quality assurance and sustainability. The workshop sought to catalyse collaborative action to accelerate women’s economic empowerment and to position SHG enterprises as credible suppliers within government procurement ecosystems.

DAY-NRLM has mobilised over 100.5 million (mn) rural women into more than nine million (mn) Self-Help Groups, creating one of the world’s largest women-led community networks. Banks have extended credit of over Rs 11,109,450 million (mn) to women SHGs, supporting livelihoods. Public procurement globally accounts for 13 to 20 per cent of GDP and Indian policy mandates that 25 per cent of annual procurement be sourced from Micro and Small Enterprises with three per cent earmarked for women-led enterprises.

DAY-NRLM, Ministry of Rural Development, with PCI India, held a national workshop in New Delhi on 17 February 2026 to scale women-led enterprises through public procurement. The event brought together State Rural Livelihood Missions, central ministries, development partners, corporate social responsibility leaders and industry stakeholders to showcase models of Self-Help Group enterprises engaging with government supply chains. It aimed to strengthen institutional pathways for women-led enterprises to participate in procurement at scale. The Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development said women’s economic empowerment should be treated as a strategic investment in growth, resilience and social stability and described public procurement as a lever for inclusive state purchasing that can enhance quality and accountability through women-led suppliers. The Additional Secretary, DAY-NRLM, emphasised that linking SHG products and services to public procurement is a strategic priority and called for coordinated action across ministries, states and partners. A dedicated microsite was launched to guide women-led enterprises in establishing and operationalising enterprises across India and three sector playbooks were unveiled covering housekeeping and laundry, food processing and apparel. A coffee table book documenting enterprise journeys and institutional learnings was also released and development partners including the World Bank and the Gates Foundation were present. Participants included senior DAY-NRLM officials, state mission directors and SHG entrepreneurs from Rajasthan, Karnataka and Bihar who described practical experiences engaging with procurement systems and identified pathways for scale, quality assurance and sustainability. The workshop sought to catalyse collaborative action to accelerate women’s economic empowerment and to position SHG enterprises as credible suppliers within government procurement ecosystems. DAY-NRLM has mobilised over 100.5 million (mn) rural women into more than nine million (mn) Self-Help Groups, creating one of the world’s largest women-led community networks. Banks have extended credit of over Rs 11,109,450 million (mn) to women SHGs, supporting livelihoods. Public procurement globally accounts for 13 to 20 per cent of GDP and Indian policy mandates that 25 per cent of annual procurement be sourced from Micro and Small Enterprises with three per cent earmarked for women-led enterprises.

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