Target to Create 10 Million ‘Lakhpati Didi’s’ through Mahalakshmi Saras!

UMED Malls’ to be launched in every district for women; states Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

Mumbai, May 2, 2026: The ‘Mahalakshmi Saras’ exhibition, which provides an empowering platform to women from every district has now been transformed into a new and advanced format and is capable of competing with exhibitions at a global level. The exhibition does not merely feature containers for display purposes but is conceptualized around the idea of ‘Containers of India.’ Under the leadership of Rural Development Minister Jaykumar Gore, 5 million ‘Lakhpati Didis’ have already been created and a target has now been set to create 10 million in the coming years. This was stated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the ‘Mahalakshmi Saras’ exhibition held at Bandra Kurla Complex.

The ‘Mahalakshmi Saras Sale and Exhibition 2026’ was inaugurated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The event was graced by the presence of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Jaykumar Gore, Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Minister of State Yogesh Kadam, along with Additional Chief Secretary Eknath Dawle, Chief Executive Officer (UMED) Nilesh Sagar, and Chief Operating Officer Nikhil Oswal, under whose guidance the program was conducted.

If the vision of a ‘Developed India’ is to be realized, it is essential to bring ‘women power’ into the mainstream of development. The moment this women power actively participates in the economy as a human resource, India will become a developed nation. With this objective Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched several initiatives for women empowerment. Over the past ten years a massive movement of women self-help groups has been built in Maharashtra through ‘UMED’ and ‘MAVIM,’ connecting millions of women. This has benefited countless families with women empowering their households through their own efforts. The Chief Minister stated that the expectations envisioned by Prime Minister Modi have been successfully realized by the women of Maharashtra.

Nursery (Plant Sapling) Training for Women

So far, 5 million women have become ‘Lakhpati Didis,’ and the goal is to increase this number to 10 million in the coming years. Efforts are being made to ensure Maharashtra becomes the first state to achieve this milestone. A massive plantation drive of 30 billion trees has been initiated in the state. Through ‘UMED,’ self-help groups will be provided financial assistance to develop nurseries. Women will raise saplings and the government will also bear the cost of plantation and maintenance. This initiative will generate both employment and income for women. The Chief Minister has directed that a detailed plan be prepared for this purpose.

‘UMED Malls’ for Women Self-Help Groups

To provide rural women with a permanent and rightful marketplace, work has begun to establish ‘UMED Malls’ in 20 districts. The remaining 16 districts will also soon have such malls. Over the next 5 to 10 years, there is a plan to establish similar malls at the taluka level as well, informed Minister Jaykumar Gore.

50,000 Crore Loan Distributed – Zero Default by Women

Addressing the women after the Chief Minister’s speech, Minister Jaykumar Gore said that ‘Mahalakshmi Saras 2026’ is creating employment opportunities for women. For the first time in Maharashtra’s history, such a grand-scale exhibition has been organized. This initiative aims to make women self-reliant.

He further stated that 6.4 million families are connected to this movement, with 34,000 women’s self-help groups actively working. Loans worth 50,000 crore have been distributed to these groups. Notably, women have repaid the entire loan amount without a single rupee in default for which he highly praised them.

Round-the-Clock Efforts for 10 Million ‘Lakhpati Didi’s’

Minister Jaykumar Gore further added that the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a national target of creating 30 million such women. Out of this, the responsibility of creating 10 million ‘Lakhpati Didis’ has been assigned to his department and they are working day and night to achieve this goal.

He also mentioned that earlier ‘Mini Saras’ exhibitions had only 100–150 stalls, but now ‘Food Malls’ will be established in 13 districts. He assured that women are now fully prepared to compete in the market, and the government will stand firmly behind them.

[5/2, 7:16 PM] Amol Subhash Hande Pr: *Target to Create 10 Million ‘Lakhpati Didi’s’ through Mahalakshmi Saras!*

‘*UMED Malls’ to be launched in every district for women; states Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis*

*Mumbai, May 2, 2026*: The ‘Mahalakshmi Saras’ exhibition, which provides an empowering platform to women from every district has now been transformed into a new and advanced format and is capable of competing with exhibitions at a global level. The exhibition does not merely feature containers for display purposes but is conceptualized around the idea of ‘Containers of India.’ Under the leadership of Rural Development Minister Jaykumar Gore, 5 million ‘Lakhpati Didis’ have already been created and a target has now been set to create 10 million in the coming years. This was stated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the ‘Mahalakshmi Saras’ exhibition held at Bandra Kurla Complex.

The ‘Mahalakshmi Saras Sale and Exhibition 2026’ was inaugurated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The event was graced by the presence of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Jaykumar Gore, Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Minister of State Yogesh Kadam, along with Additional Chief Secretary Eknath Dawle, Chief Executive Officer (UMED) Nilesh Sagar, and Chief Operating Officer Nikhil Oswal, under whose guidance the program was conducted.

If the vision of a ‘Developed India’ is to be realized, it is essential to bring ‘women power’ into the mainstream of development. The moment this women power actively participates in the economy as a human resource, India will become a developed nation. With this objective Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched several initiatives for women empowerment. Over the past ten years a massive movement of women self-help groups has been built in Maharashtra through ‘UMED’ and ‘MAVIM,’ connecting millions of women. This has benefited countless families with women empowering their households through their own efforts. The Chief Minister stated that the expectations envisioned by Prime Minister Modi have been successfully realized by the women of Maharashtra.

Nursery (Plant Sapling) Training for Women

So far, 5 million women have become ‘Lakhpati Didis,’ and the goal is to increase this number to 10 million in the coming years. Efforts are being made to ensure Maharashtra becomes the first state to achieve this milestone. A massive plantation drive of 30 billion trees has been initiated in the state. Through ‘UMED,’ self-help groups will be provided financial assistance to develop nurseries. Women will raise saplings and the government will also bear the cost of plantation and maintenance. This initiative will generate both employment and income for women. The Chief Minister has directed that a detailed plan be prepared for this purpose.

‘UMED Malls’ for Women Self-Help Groups

To provide rural women with a permanent and rightful marketplace, work has begun to establish ‘UMED Malls’ in 20 districts. The remaining 16 districts will also soon have such malls. Over the next 5 to 10 years, there is a plan to establish similar malls at the taluka level as well, informed Minister Jaykumar Gore.

50,000 Crore Loan Distributed – Zero Default by Women

Addressing the women after the Chief Minister’s speech, Minister Jaykumar Gore said that ‘Mahalakshmi Saras 2026’ is creating employment opportunities for women. For the first time in Maharashtra’s history, such a grand-scale exhibition has been organized. This initiative aims to make women self-reliant.

He further stated that 6.4 million families are connected to this movement, with 34,000 women’s self-help groups actively working. Loans worth 50,000 crore have been distributed to these groups. Notably, women have repaid the entire loan amount without a single rupee in default for which he highly praised them.

Round-the-Clock Efforts for 10 Million ‘Lakhpati Didi’s’

Minister Jaykumar Gore further added that the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a national target of creating 30 million such women. Out of this, the responsibility of creating 10 million ‘Lakhpati Didis’ has been assigned to his department and they are working day and night to achieve this goal.

He also mentioned that earlier ‘Mini Saras’ exhibitions had only 100–150 stalls, but now ‘Food Malls’ will be established in 13 districts. He assured that women are now fully prepared to compete in the market, and the government will stand firmly behind them.