Maharashtra Rural Women’s Enterprise Development Project: Maharashtra, India’s largest state and the second largest in terms of population, has about 11.2 crore people living in it. But among such a large population, 17.4% people are living below the poverty line. Food insecurity exists at some level in all the districts of the state. Along with this, challenges like rural poverty, effects of climate change, and increasing rate of malnutrition are still in the forefront in a formidable form. To solve these problems, only government schemes or short-term help will not work – there is a need for a long-term, strong and inclusive development plan.
Nav Tejaswini Project: New hope for rural women
Keeping these challenges in mind, “Nav Tejaswini Project” has been started. This project is a significant effort towards poverty alleviation as well as empowerment of rural women. Its main objective is:
- Lift one million (10 lakh) poor rural families out of poverty permanently.
- Enable women to establish healthy enterprises, engage in gainful employment, and gain access to markets.
This project is designed on the basis of the success of Tejaswini Rural Women Empowerment Program and is working to build on it.
Which women will get the benefit?
The project focuses on women and groups who have traditionally been deprived of opportunities and who have limited resources. These include:
- Marginal farmers
- Micro women entrepreneurs involved in animal husbandry/fisheries
- Women workers producing non-agricultural products
- Women working in the service sector
- Agricultural workers
All these groups, despite being the backbone of our economy, have been marginalized for years. Now they have an opportunity to promote their self-employment and become economically self-reliant.
Broad vision of the project
“Nav Tejaswini Project” is not just a social scheme, but it is a robust economic model. Its objective is to promote micro and small enterprises in rural areas, as well as create new commodity clusters.
Under this project, assistance will also be provided to existing small industries so that they can improve aspects such as value addition, packaging, and market linkages. In addition, training in new products and services, financial support, and development of marketing networks are integral parts of the project.
Financial structure and partnerships
The total cost of this ambitious project is US$413.28 million. This expenditure is being shared by various sources:
- IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development): US$51.4 million
- Domestic financial institutions: US$260.74 million
- Local government: US$96.19 million
- Beneficiary contributions: US$4.95 million
Such multi-layered partnerships ensure that the project does not rely solely on government funding, but also includes local participation and private investment.
What will change in rural Maharashtra?
If the project is successfully implemented, some of the potential benefits are:
- Increased employment opportunities, especially for women.
- Better use of local resources and Promotion of indigenous products.
- Strengthening of the village-based economy and reduction of dependence on cities.
- Increased resilience to future climate crises.
- Improved nutrition levels and Increased access to health services.
Conclusion: An empowered woman, an empowered society
“Nav Tejaswini” is not just a scheme, it is a vision — a thought that believes If women are strong, society will be strong. When a rural woman builds her own business, she not only increases her income, but she also provides better education to her children, better nutrition to the family, and a better direction to the society.
This project is expected to change the face of rural Maharashtra. This scheme stands at the juncture of women empowerment and poverty alleviation, which is a decisive step towards making the state more economically and socially prosperous.
Project Contact:
James Marc Shields (Contact Officer for more information)
If you found this article useful, please share it, so that information about this scheme reaches every woman who is ready to bring a change in her life.