MoRD-PCI India MoU: Public Procurement for Women-Led Enterprises
Why in the news
MoRD, through DAY-NRLM, agreed a non-financial three-year MoU (2026-29) with Project Concern International (PCI) India to help SHG-led women enterprises win government orders and markets.
Key features
- A National Resource Cell (NRC) in DAY-NRLM, technically supported by PCI India.
- New incubation frameworks, SOPs and capacity-building modules.
- SHG training on GeM onboarding, bidding, quality norms, paperwork and compliance.
- Backing for eco-friendly, renewable-energy-based enterprises.
- Phase one (2026-27): Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Bihar and Assam.
Why procurement matters
The government buys more than anyone else in India, so its orders give SHG firms steady demand and income.
| Public Procurement Policy for MSEs, 2012 | Share |
|---|---|
| MSE share of annual purchases | 25% |
| Women-owned MSEs | 3% |
| SC/ST-owned MSEs | 4% |
SHG hurdles
- Paperwork and compliance, no quality certificates or tender awareness.
- Thin working capital, delayed payments, inability to serve big orders alone.
DAY-NRLM and Lakhpati Didi
- More than 10 crore rural women are in SHGs.
- Lakhpati Didi target: 6 crore by 2029-30; Budget 2026-27 gave DAY-NRLM ₹17,280 crore.
- Terms: SHE-Mart (Lakhpati Didi 2.0 outlets), GeM Womaniya; a non-financial MoU involves no fund transfer.