UP Govt Sets Up 543 Prerna SARAS Stores To Take Rural Women's Products From Local To Global Markets

Lucknow, September 15 - The Uttar Pradesh government has established 543 Prerna SARAS Stores to empower rural women by connecting their self-help group products with global markets. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spearheaded this initiative, which has also developed online and offline marketing platforms for over 3,000 products.

These platforms, including ONDC, e-SARAS, Prerna Mart, Meesho, Amazon, and Flipkart, provide a structured sales platform for local products, allowing them to expand beyond villages and districts to national and international markets.

Mission Director Arun Kumar emphasized that the focus is on empowering women in self-help groups for entrepreneurship, rather than just providing savings and loans. With enhanced packaging, branding, and market linkages, these women are gaining opportunities to understand market demand and grow their small enterprises accordingly. Online marketing has already started at the Bijnor State Aggregation Center to tap into digital markets.

Branding and marketing beyond production is a key aspect of this system, as it helps provide a wider market for products identified with a particular district or region. For women of self-help groups, market access is not just about increasing sales but also about creating product identity and brand value. By leveraging Prerna SARAS Stores, marketing platforms, and online marketing for over 3,000 products, the government is creating a new pathway for rural 'Didis' to move from local markets to national and international markets, transforming their entrepreneurship from livelihoods to small enterprises.