by Suman Gupta
Inauguration of 5 Lakh Houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Soon – Informs Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Minister Jaykumar Gore
Mumbai, May 13 – The ‘Mahalaxmi Saras 2026’ exhibition, organized under UMED – Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Mission at BKC since May 2, has received an overwhelming response from the people of Mumbai. Conceptualized under the vision of Minister Jaykumar Gore, the exhibition has emerged as an international-standard platform showcasing the rich culture of rural Maharashtra, traditional cuisine, handicrafts, and women entrepreneurship.
With the objective of providing global recognition, permanent marketplaces, and larger business opportunities for products made by rural women entrepreneurs, this year’s exhibition has been curated in a more modern and attractive format under the guidance of Rural Development Minister Jaykumar Gore. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis extended special support and approval to this initiative, helping transform the exhibition into a world-class cultural and commercial platform.
Jewellery, saree collections, bamboo products, home décor items, and rural handicrafts created by lakhs of women self-help groups across Maharashtra are available for sale at the exhibition. Mumbai visitors are also enthusiastically purchasing organic jaggery, papads, pickles, spices, chutneys, puran polis, and other traditional rural delicacies. Some women entrepreneurs even received prices of up to ₹1,000 per kilogram for their traditional pickles. More than 60% of the stock at several stalls was sold within just a few days.
On May 9 alone, the exhibition recorded sales worth ₹6 crore in a single day. The total business generated so far has crossed ₹32 crore, with expectations of exceeding ₹50 crore this year. Earlier exhibitions recorded turnovers of ₹16 crore in Nagpur and ₹22 crore in Vashi. Considering the tremendous public response, the exhibition has now been extended till May 17.
‘UMED Mall’ for Sustainable Market Access
To provide permanent market opportunities for women entrepreneurs, the government is implementing the ‘UMED Mall’ concept along with the digital platform ‘UMED Mart’. Work on UMED Malls has already begun in 13 districts across the state, with plans to expand the initiative up to the taluka level in the future. Construction of all 13 malls is scheduled to begin this year and be completed within the next year. Each mall will cover a minimum area of 20,000 square feet.
To ensure the success and global presentation of the exhibition, assistance was taken from Delhi-based Mittal Company, which worked closely with government officials.
Facilities at the Exhibition
The entire exhibition venue is fully air-conditioned, featuring a dedicated AC food court, a digital theme park, and home delivery services introduced for the first time this year. Wheelchair facilities are available for specially-abled visitors, while free bus services are operating from Bandra East and Kurla West railway stations. On weekends, the exhibition witnesses a footfall of nearly 15,000 to 20,000 visitors.
Successful Journey of the UMED Mission
Since its launch in 2011, the UMED mission has been successfully implemented across 34 districts, 351 talukas, and 31,578 villages in Maharashtra. Around 66 lakh rural families are associated with the mission, and nearly 6.7 lakh self-help groups have been formed. More than ₹50,150 crore in loans has been disbursed to SHGs through banks, while ₹4,640 crore has been provided as community investment funds.
Under the Prime Minister’s vision, Maharashtra has already created 50 lakh Lakhpati Didis, and under the guidance of the Chief Minister, the state aims to create 1 crore Lakhpati Didis. Initially, 4,200 products are available on the UMED Mart platform, while efforts are underway to expand sales through Amazon and Flipkart.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Rural
Under Phase 1 of the scheme, Maharashtra received a target of 13,11,699 houses between 2016-17 and 2022-23. Approvals were granted for 100% of the houses, and 12,84,229 houses have already been completed.
For 2024-25, Maharashtra received the country’s highest housing target of nearly 30 lakh houses, including:
6.37 lakh houses approved in September 2024
13.29 lakh houses approved in December 2024
45,770 houses under PM JANMAN
10 lakh houses for 2025-26
Out of these, approvals have been granted for 27,86,853 houses, of which 5,08,267 houses have already been completed, while 22,78,586 are under construction.
A record 5,08,267 houses have been completed within the last one year alone. The inauguration of these 5 lakh houses will soon be held in the presence of Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the Chief Minister. During the event, an announcement of nearly ₹10,000 crore funding for Maharashtra is expected.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis consistently pursued the matter with the Central Government, helping Maharashtra secure the target of 30 lakh new rural houses.
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“We are grateful for the overwhelming response received from the people of Mumbai. The Chief Minister has given us the target of creating one crore Lakhpati Didis, and we are steadily progressing towards that goal. We are successfully creating market opportunities for products made by women entrepreneurs,” said Minister Jaykumar Gore.
