Regarding need to strengthen market access for women led Self Help Groups (SHGs) in Deoria district and other tier-I and II cities of the country-laid

Regarding need to strengthen market access for women led Self Help Groups (SHGs) in Deoria district and other tier-I and II cities of the country-laid SHRI SHASHANK MANI (DEORIA): I wish to draw attention to the importance of strengthening market access for women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs), particularly in districts like Deoria and other tier-I and tier-II cities, where rural livelihoods depend significantly on small-scale production. Under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana?National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), more than 10 crore rural women have been mobilised into over 90 lakh SHGs nationwide, with substantial (cid:110) credit linkage exceeding 10 lakh crore, demonstrating the scale of institutional empowerment achieved. The Government has already taken meaningful steps to expand marketing opportunities through initiatives such as SARAS Melas, the e-SARAS portal, the SARAS Collection on GeM, and partnerships with e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and Meesho, enabling SHG products to reach wider markets. At the district level, further support in branding, packaging, logistics, digital marketing skills, and aggregation through cluster-level federations can help SHGs transition from subsistence-based activities to sustainable enterprises. Strengthening local procurement linkages with institutions such as Anganwadi centres, schools, and cooperatives can also create stable demand. Such efforts will deepen women?s economic participation and contribute meaningfully to inclusive rural development and self-reliance.