Rajkot: Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has announced a plan to establish women-operated Amul milk parlours in 18,000 villages across the state, with the objective of expanding rural women’s livelihood opportunities through dairy-based entrepreneurship.
The initiative is being implemented through a memorandum of understanding between the Gujarat Livelihood Promotion Company (GLPC) and Amul. It aims to connect women associated with self-help groups (SHGs) to established markets, enabling them to develop independent sources of income through dairy retailing.
The announcement was made in Rajkot ahead of Navratri, alongside the distribution of parlour allotment letters and financial assistance to self-help groups. Dairy-related groups received financial support amounting to ₹40 lakh.
The proposed network of women-run parlours is intended to create local business opportunities while strengthening the connection between rural women’s groups and the dairy market.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said that more than 8.5 lakh women in Gujarat had become Lakhpati Didis, highlighting the state’s efforts to support women’s financial independence.
The initiative combines self-help group participation with dairy-sector market access, aiming to encourage women’s entrepreneurship and strengthen rural livelihoods through cooperative-linked dairy business opportunities.