Shakti on Wheels Brings Maharashtra Women SHG Products Closer to Navi Mumbai Consumers

A mobile marketplace promoting products made by women Self Help Groups (SHGs) across Maharashtra is heading to Navi Mumbai, creating a new opportunity for women entrepreneurs to connect directly with urban customers.

Shakti on Wheels Arrives at Konkan Bhavan

The Shakti on Wheels mobile van will visit Konkan Bhavan in Navi Mumbai on Monday, bringing a wide range of products made by women SHGs to government employees, visitors and local consumers.

The initiative was started by the AnirvedShakti Foundation, founded by retired IAS officer R. Vimala. Maharashtra Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare inaugurated the mobile retail van on August 4.

The initiative received an encouraging start, with sales crossing ₹30,000 during its first three days. For Vimala, the early response represents more than sales. It shows that customers are willing to buy products made by women producers when those products are easily available.

Building Regular Markets for Women Entrepreneurs

The main goal of Shakti on Wheels is to give women SHGs a more consistent way to reach customers.

Women across Maharashtra produce a wide variety of goods, including spices, grains, pulses, papads, pickles, cooking oils, ghee, jaggery, honey, textiles and handicrafts. However, finding regular buyers has often remained a major challenge.

During her tenure as CEO of the Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission, also known as UMED, Vimala worked closely with women SHGs and saw this challenge firsthand.

Women could sell their products at exhibitions, fairs and melavas, but these events were usually held for a limited period. Shakti on Wheels was created around a simple idea: instead of waiting for the next exhibition, take the products directly to consumers.

A Grocery Store on Wheels

The concept remained on hold for several years before Vimala brought it back after retirement.

Although she had no previous experience in retail operations, inventory management or running a commercial vehicle, she decided to develop the idea into a working business model.

A Mahindra Veero was selected for the project and specially fitted with shelves and storage facilities to carry products from women SHGs.

The foundation invested in the vehicle, fabrication, branding, staffing and daily operations. The early response has now provided encouragement that the model can develop into a sustainable marketplace.

Quality Comes Before Sympathy

Vimala said the initiative is not based on sympathy purchases. The focus is on offering quality products that customers will want to buy again.

This approach is important for long-term empowerment. If customers return because they like the quality, taste, usefulness or value of a product, women producers can build stronger and more reliable businesses.

The response from SHGs has also been positive. Women producers from different parts of Maharashtra are already showing interest in getting their products onto the mobile van.

An SHG member named Nandini from Bhandara recently contacted Vimala after learning about the initiative and asked if her group could also supply products for the mobile marketplace.

Navi Mumbai Could Become a Key Market

The visit to Konkan Bhavan could help Shakti on Wheels develop a regular presence in Navi Mumbai.

The city has a large network of housing societies, offices, corporate campuses and institutions. These locations could provide a strong customer base for products made by women entrepreneurs from different parts of Maharashtra.

The foundation plans to explore regular routes through residential communities, workplaces and corporate spaces. This could help women producers reach customers more frequently instead of depending mainly on seasonal exhibitions and special events.

Plans to Expand Shakti on Wheels

The foundation also has plans to make the service more convenient for customers. In the future, consumers could potentially track the van, pre-order products and learn about new goods made by women producers.

The long-term vision is much bigger than a single mobile store. Vimala hopes the concept can expand to more cities and eventually create a network of Shakti on Wheels vehicles serving women producers across Maharashtra and other parts of India.

For now, the mobile marketplace is taking an important step into Navi Mumbai. Its visit to Konkan Bhavan will bring products made by women SHGs directly to urban consumers while opening another possible market for women entrepreneurs across Maharashtra.