The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), an initiative of NITI Aayog, in collaboration with Reliance Foundation, honoured five women kirana entrepreneurs from Madhya Pradesh under the Empowering Rural Women Kirana Entrepreneurs (RWKEs) pilot programme. Each entrepreneur received a ₹1 lakh grant in recognition of their entrepreneurial achievements and contribution to strengthening rural businesses.
The felicitation ceremony was held at NITI Aayog and celebrated women who have demonstrated resilience, business growth, and leadership while managing kirana stores in their communities.
Recognising Rural Women Entrepreneurs
The five awardees were selected for their commitment to improving their businesses through training, innovation, and financial discipline. During the event, the entrepreneurs shared how the programme helped them strengthen their enterprises and outlined their plans for future expansion.
The ceremony was attended by Dr. Joram Aniya, Member, NITI Aayog; Ana Roy, Mission Director of WEP and Programme Director at NITI Aayog; Deepthi Nukalapati, Chief – Women Empowerment at Reliance Foundation; Sonal Jaitly, Associate Partner and Global Lead (GEDSI) at MicroSave Consulting (MSC); along with the awardees and their families.
About the RWKE Programme
The Empowering Rural Women Kirana Entrepreneurs (RWKEs) initiative is a pilot programme launched by Reliance Foundation in partnership with the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), while MicroSave Consulting (MSC) serves as the technical partner.
The programme focuses on supporting women-led kirana stores across the districts of Barwani, Vidisha, and Raisen in Madhya Pradesh.
Recognising the critical role played by rural women entrepreneurs in supporting household incomes and local economies, the initiative aims to address barriers such as limited financial literacy, low digital adoption, and restricted access to business planning and market opportunities.
1,200+ Hours of Business Training
Since its launch, the programme has delivered over 1,200 hours of structured learning through more than 175 training sessions conducted across six development blocks:
- Barwani
- Pati
- Ganj Basoda
- Vidisha
- Obedullaganj
- Sanchi
The initiative has directly benefited 108 women entrepreneurs across the three districts.
Training sessions were conducted in local languages using participatory learning methods, enabling women to easily understand and apply practical business concepts.
Focus on Financial and Digital Empowerment
The programme provided capacity-building support across four major areas:
- Financial literacy and budgeting
- Digital adoption
- Market orientation
- Business planning
Participants were trained in bookkeeping, inventory management, supplier linkages, financial planning, and enterprise growth strategies to improve the long-term sustainability of their businesses.
Strengthening Rural Entrepreneurship
According to the organisers, the programme demonstrates how collaboration between public institutions and private organisations can strengthen rural entrepreneurship ecosystems.
By combining institutional support, technical expertise, and on-ground implementation, the initiative has created a structured pathway for women entrepreneurs to enhance business resilience, adopt digital tools, improve financial decision-making, and expand their enterprises.
The programme also highlights the growing importance of women-led kirana stores in strengthening rural supply chains and local economies.
Reliance Foundation reiterated its commitment to empowering women through entrepreneurship and economic inclusion, with the objective of creating sustainable social and community impact across the country.
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