The Gujarat government has launched a series of initiatives to expand rural women’s access to markets and strengthen women-led businesses, including plans to establish women-run Amul milk parlours in 18,000 villages across the state.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced the initiatives while virtually inaugurating around 136 Sakhi Mandal-managed Gram Haats across 27 districts from Rajkot. The Gram Haats, located at bus stations, will provide women’s self-help groups with dedicated spaces to sell handicrafts, homemade food products and other locally made goods.
Amul Parlours to Expand Dairy Livelihoods
The proposed Amul parlours are intended to create additional income-generating opportunities for rural women through milk and dairy-product retailing. The Gujarat Livelihood Promotion Company Limited (GLPC) and Amul signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance the initiative.
The programme aims to strengthen women’s participation in the dairy sector by creating opportunities to operate milk parlours and develop small businesses linked to dairy-product sales.
13 MoUs to Improve Market Access
GLPC signed 13 MoUs with government departments, financial institutions, educational institutions and other organisations to improve marketing opportunities, financial access and business support for women associated with Sakhi Mandals.
The partners include the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation, Railways, Amul, the National Institute of Fashion Technology, MICA, the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India and several banks.
The initiatives also include digital entrepreneurship training and mentorship to help women expand their businesses and reach customers through online channels.
Financial Assistance for Women’s Groups
At the Rajkot event, cash-credit cheques and other assistance were distributed to self-help groups. The reported distribution included ₹40 lakh in cash-credit support for groups engaged in dairy-related activities and ₹1,08,640 under an e-commerce incentive scheme. Amul parlour allotment letters were also distributed.
The government also highlighted the role of Sakhi Mandals in rural livelihoods. Chief Minister Patel said more than 8.5 lakh women in Gujarat had become Lakhpati Didis, while around 30 lakh rural women were associated with approximately 2.5 lakh Sakhi Mandals.
Opportunities Across the Dairy Value Chain
The initiative reflects an effort to connect women’s self-help groups with established dairy brands, cooperative networks and market infrastructure. Beyond milk retailing, stronger institutional links could create opportunities for women’s groups to participate in dairy-product marketing and other value-added activities.
The proposed 18,000-village coverage represents a substantial planned expansion. Its impact will depend on implementation, access to viable retail locations, business support and the ability of women operators to sustain commercially viable parlours.
For Gujarat’s dairy sector, the programme could widen the retail reach of Amul products while creating new business opportunities for rural women.
Source: Dairynews7x7 13 Oct, 2026 Read full story here
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