Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on September 26 launched the SHE Mart initiative and several cooperative schemes in Kollam, Keralam, to strengthen the cooperative sector and expand opportunities for rural women. The initiatives were part of the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation (NCCF).

Addressing the event, Shah said the demand for a separate Cooperation Ministry at the Centre had continued since Independence. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government with creating the ministry and linked it to rural development, agriculture and women’s empowerment. “Since independence till now, all the farmers of the country and all the people associated with the co-operative sector have had a demand that a Co-operative Ministry should be formed at the Centre, but it was not fulfilled. By creating a Co-operative Ministry, the PM has taken a big step for the country’s rural development, agricultural development, and women’s empowerment,” he stated.

Shah also highlighted Keralam’s long cooperative history. He said the cooperative movement in regions such as Travancore, Cochin and Malabar had developed even before Independence. He noted that more than 23,000 cooperatives are currently functioning in the state.

“Keralam is a very old state with strong cooperative infrastructure. More than 23,000 cooperatives are running very well here. I also invite the Cooperation Minister of Keralam to come to Delhi, and we will be happy if Keralam takes maximum advantage of all the schemes of the Government of India. We can also provide you special help and guidance in the field of dairy, seed, and organic agriculture. Women empowerment through cooperatives is the basic objective of the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.”

During the programme, Shah launched the SHE Mart initiative in Keralam. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the initiative under the SHE Mart Mission in the 2026-27 Union Budget. The scheme seeks to help rural women move from being credit seekers to becoming enterprise owners.

“The ‘SHE-Mart’ initiative in the cooperative sector—announced by the Finance Minister in the budget—is being launched today in Keralam. Alongside this, the distribution of onions, ‘Bharat Atta’, and ‘Bharat Rice’ to the citizens of Kerala at affordable rates via NCCF and NAFED mobile vans has also commenced. Furthermore, scholarships have been awarded to daughters of two farming families under the NAFED Welfare Scholarship Scheme.”

Explaining the initiative, Shah said SHE Mart would connect women’s self-help groups and rural entrepreneurs directly with markets and consumers. He described it as a self-help entrepreneur mart designed to give women-led rural businesses greater market access.

“The concept of this ‘SHE Mart’ is a kind of self-help entrepreneur mart and is a very good effort to connect women SHG and rural industry entrepreneurs directly with the market and directly with the consumers. Indian brand products and local products will be available in more than 2,500 retail outlets by NCCF as well as more than 300 ‘SHE Mart’ stores in Keralam, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.”