Asmita Bazaar : MSRLM's Baby steps with Himalaya.....

Asmita Bazaar : MSRLM 's Baby steps with Himalaya.....

Maharashtra State Rural livelihoods Mission, MSRLM Umed works for the empowerment of women through self-help groups. A three pronged strategy is adapted to achieve the ultimate aim of sustainable livelihoods. These include providing support to enhance agricultural productivity and ancillary activities, like goatery and poultry, continuous capacity building for setting up enterprises and Skilling of youth through DDUGKY.
The goods produced by the SHgs need access to markets as also foward linkages. This is done by organising exhibitions at district, divisional, state, national and international level.
A market place for SHG products is essential to cater to the demands of urban areas. The Mahalakshmi Saras Mart at the Gram Vikas Bhavan in Kharghar was started with that intention. It has been a great exposure for the rural women from self help groups to present their goods here and also upload it online on the 'e-saras' platform.
This e-saras platform has over hundreds of products and has made online purchase and delivery of SHG products possible in the city of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
The urban market is also flushed with malls providing FMCG to purchasers at competitive rates and fabulous discounts. Though such markets are opening up in tier 2 and 3 cities, rural India is yet to experience that boom of discounted prices.
The launch of Asmita app and Asmita sanitary napkins which were made available at about 1/3 the price of other good quality sanitary napkins on an e-platform was the first revolutionary step in that direction.
A project of this kind promoting rural SHGs to operate an end to end digital platform right from registration as retailers of Asmita sanitary napkins, to recharge of wallets , placing of order, receiving of product and selling it via Asmita app has been the first of its kind. More than 25000 SHGs have registered as retailers and have sold over 15 lakh packets of Asmita sanitary napkins. More than 40000 girls in Zilla Parishad scools have been provided Asmita sanitary napkins at a subsidised rate of Rs.5/-
Encouraged by this success it was decided to add another window for SHGs for retailing by way of Asmita Bazaar.
Asmita Bazaar envisages to make Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), from companies like Himalaya drug company, Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever, Agro products from Godrej Agrovet, & handmade products made by SHGs accessible to rural consumers through SHG network on the existing ASMITA mobile app.
MSRLM has over 3.8 lakh SHGs who are potential rural retailers under the ASMITA Bazaar Project. They would procure FMCG and agri products at discounted rate from manufacturers using ASMITA mobile applications, and sell the products to rural consumers at a discounted rate known as the ASMITA price thus giving benefit to the whole ecosystem. Quality products would be made available in rural areas just like the urban areas without any differentiation. The multinationals would have the benefit of easy access to a  potentially ready  untapped market of over 40 lakh households associated with the 3.8 lakh SHGs of MSRLM. 
ASMITA Bazaar platform focusses on ensuring availability of shortlisted grocery items, nutrition supplements, baby care products, beauty and personal care products, household and kitchen items, agro, poultry and goat farming feeds products etc. based on market demands among the village locals of rural Maharashtra.

MSRLM has already signed an MoU with Himalaya Drug Company to be a part of the Asmita Bazaar platform and enroll SHG women as retailers. It has also been decided that those companies which would come on board Asmita Bazaar would also be allowed to share small retail space at The Mahalakshmi Saras Mart at Gram Vikas Bhavan, Kharghar.
The Himalaya shop with mother and baby care products was inaugurated on 8th July 2019. It has a range of premium wellness products like Baby pants, wipes, Intimate wash, Nipple care butter, Happy Baby Gift Packs, Anti-rash cream, Soothing calamine baby lotion, Soothing body butter, Baby cream, Toning massage oil, Prickly heat and baby powder, baby soaps, baby shampoos, baby wash, Diaper rash cream, baby massage oil.
The shop is offering a flat 20% discount on all products of baby care & mother care without minimum order till 14th July 2019.  
So there is one more reason to rush to the Mahalakshmi Saras Mart, Gram Vikas Bhavan, Kharghar.
Of course, the SHGs are there with their products, additionally, you can now shop for Himalaya products.
The ultimate dream of MSRLM is the ASMITA Bazaar Shop, a brand stores for ASMITA which shall be managed by members of SHGs selling FMCG products procured from manufacturers at discounted rate and sold at discounted prices. The brand store shall also be wholesaler in the village.
Surely these would be great milestones for the SHGs to achieve. May the beginning of these baby steps with Himalaya be the first milestone in that direction.....