Karnataka Government launched Gruha Lakshmi Digital Marketing Portal to strengthen the economic independence of women through digital empowerment. The initiative aligns with Karnataka’s agenda of inclusive growth, leveraging technology to provide women entrepreneurs with structured market access. Karnataka is among the few states implementing dedicated women-centric digital schemes through its Women Development Corporation.
What is Gruha Lakshmi Digital Marketing Portal?
- A government-supported digital marketplace exclusively for women entrepreneurs.
- Designed to bridge the gap between women producers and wider markets, extending reach beyond local and district boundaries.
- Functions as a verified e-commerce platform, ensuring trust, transparency, and accountability.
Objective
- To market and promote products of women entrepreneurs, enhancing economic independence and digital inclusion.
Institutional framework
- Implemented by the Department of Women and Child Development, Karnataka.
- Supported by the Karnataka State Women’s Development Corporation, which plays a key role in policy execution, outreach, and coordination.
- Government backing ensures credibility, institutional trust, and long-term sustainability, distinguishing it from private e-commerce platforms.
Purpose and vision
- To promote women-led enterprises by providing direct market access.
- Addresses key barriers faced by women entrepreneurs, especially in rural areas:
- Limited branding and visibility
- Dependence on middlemen
- Lack of logistics support
- Digital literacy constraints
- Enables fair pricing, wider visibility, and reduced exploitation by intermediaries.
Key features of digital portal
- Diverse product showcase
- Displays a wide range of products made by women entrepreneurs, artisans, SHGs, and micro-enterprises.
- Empowering rural talent
- Special focus on rural women, self-help group members, and small producers whose products often remain confined to local markets.
- Verified entrepreneurs
- Only registered women entrepreneurs can sell on the portal, ensuring authenticity and buyer confidence.
- Customer-centric interface
- User-friendly design with:
- Easy navigation
- Secure digital payment options
- Organised product listings
- Verified seller model enhances transparency and accountability, similar to other government e-market platforms.
Focus on rural and small producers
- Targets rural women, artisans, SHG members, and micro-entrepreneurs.
- Helps convert traditional skills into income-generating opportunities.
- Supports livelihood diversification and improves financial resilience among women.
Registration and outreach mechanism
- Multiple registration channels to ensure inclusivity:
- Online registration
- Assistance through district-level officers
- Support via departmental offices
- Planned awareness drives to encourage wider participation.
- Multi-channel onboarding reduces digital and regional disparities, a common best practice in welfare and empowerment schemes.