A Celebration of Empowered Rural India: Grameen Bharat Mahotsav 2025 concludes on a high

New Delhi, India: The Grameen Bharat Mahotsav 2025, an initiative of the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Govt. of India and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) celebrating rural India’s growth and potential, concluded today with a vibrant closing ceremony at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

The event was inaugurated, on January 4th 2025, by Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister in the presence of Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Hon’ble Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, and Shri Pankaj Chaudhary, Hon’ble Minister of State for Finance. The six-day Mahotsav brought together stakeholders from across the country to envision an empowered rural India. The event underscored the government’s commitment to rural transformation, aligning with the goal of achieving a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.

The Mahotsav’s vibrant exhibition showcased a variety of rural products, including GI-certified goods, organic produce, and tribal crafts, with over 180 artisans from across India presenting the rich diversity of rural handloom, handicrafts, and fresh produce. It also featured stalls set up by the Reserve Bank of India and Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and with the support of other financial institutions. The experience of “the village in the heart of Delhi,” which generated significant interest and recorded substantial sales, was the cynosure of the event.

The Grameen Bharat Mahotsav featured insightful discussions across its six days, emphasising rural development’s role in India’s economic transformation. The inaugural day highlighted the potential of GI-tagged products in driving rural prosperity, with experts like Prof. Abhijit Das and Dr. Rajani Kant exploring global market opportunities, while artisan Sohit Kumar Prajapati shared his SHG’s success story. Day two explored Scaling Organic Agriculture to tap opportunities through initiatives like the “GOBAR-Dhan” Yojana and Empowering Cooperatives for a Viksit Bharat, highlighting NABARD’s efforts in digitising over 67,000 cooperative societies to strengthen rural banking.

Day three focused on empowering rural women entrepreneurs, spotlighting initiatives like “Lakhpati Didi” and the need for better access to financial resources and digital tools. Day four addressed tribal challenges in Tribal Treasures: Preserving Legacy and Driving Economy, emphasising modernising crafts, market linkages, and leveraging Social Stock Exchanges for tribal development.

The fifth day celebrated North East India’s economic potential, with Chanchal Kumar of DoNER discussing infrastructure growth, organic farming, and eco-tourism. Dr. Lalit Sharma emphasized the need for branding and digital marketing to expand the reach of the region’s unique products. A panel discussion on the final day explored financing opportunities for Grameen Bharat, focusing on innovative financial instruments, de-risking investments for private capital, and building sustainable ecosystems for small enterprises. Experts also discussed driving institutional innovation in rural enterprise financing to support the nation’s economic transformation.

Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Hon’ble Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, said, “Grameen Bharat Mahotsav 2025 was a tribute to the growing opportunities of rural India for the economic growth of our country and its positioning on the global stage. With this event, through entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, and the cultural richness that villages reflect, the critical role of initiatives like GI-tagged products, natural farming, and women-led enterprises that are fuelling sustainable development becomes all the more pronounced.

A vibrant economy in the villages, the backbone of this journey to $10 trillion by 2047, with resilient MSMEs, empowered farmers, and forward-looking cooperatives, is forming Self-reliant, Inclusive Bharat – prosperity of our villages will shine as the strength of our nation. India’s journey towards becoming a $10 trillion economy by 2047 is an economy that shines brightly in villages through resilient MSMEs, empowered farmers, and forward-looking cooperatives.

On the successful conclusion of the Grameen Bharat Mahotsav, Shri M. Nagaraju, Secretary, Department of Financial Services (DFS), stated, “The Mahotsav has brought to light the vast potential of rural India as a driver of our nation’s economic progress. With over 53 crore Jan Dhan accounts, primarily held by women and rural communities, and 14.4 million self-help groups (SHGs) fostering financial inclusion, the event underscores the critical role of grassroots resilience, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Initiatives such as Lakhpati Didi, agricultural credit worth ₹25 lakh crore annually, and dedicated support for FPOs in every state reflect our unwavering commitment to empowering rural communities, especially women entrepreneurs.”

He further emphasized, “To maximise outcomes, we are focused on building capacities, creating export linkages for SHGs, and strengthening their networks. By supporting MSMEs that employ over 50 million people and ensuring loans of up to ₹100 crore for key sectors, we aim to catalyse rural economic growth. The partnerships and knowledge gained during this Mahotsav will continue to inspire our journey toward building a self-reliant, inclusive India, paving the way for the country to achieve its economic vision.”

For the upliftment of the rural development, six action points as below were discussed.

NABARD to establish an innovation laboratory to oversee and implement the innovative projects for augmented development of rural areas.

The creation of value chains for rural products to be prioritized to effectively drive development in rural areas. All banking institutions, including SIDBI, will be mobilized to support this initiative.

NABARD to develop a comprehensive portal to house all relevant information regarding various schemes and facilities available to rural endeavours, in major regional languages for ease of understanding.

NABARD to support and collaborate with GI groups, organic groups, and other rural initiatives, facilitating e-commerce and other marketing channels.

NABARD to conduct area wise studies to understand the potential for Rural Marts and Common Facility Centres (CFCs) and support and enhance these initiatives.

Lastly, NABARD to focus on identifying the unique selling propositions (USPs) of rural products and strategically positioning them in the market.

Shri Shaji KV, Chairman of NABARD, during the closing ceremony of the Grameen Bharat Mahotsav 2025, said, “Over the six days of the event, farmers, artisans, entrepreneurs, and institutions came together to shape a more inclusive and sustainable future.

The Mahotsav highlighted innovations in organic farming, digitisation of cooperatives, GI-tagged products, and the vibrant heritage of the northeastern region. Grameen Bharat is the cornerstone of India’s economic future, and unlocking its potential requires tailored financing, robust KYC processes, and partnerships with farmers, women, and underserved communities. NABARD is committed to fostering financial education, mobilizing resources, and building a self-reliant Bharat.

At the Grameen Bharat Mahotsav 2025, several states won awards for showcasing some of the best products in categories like GI, organic, NER, tribal products, and SHG. The networking possibilities opened up for the rural entities for improving their business will augment the rural and tribal entrepreneurship nationally. The E-Commerce Hub emerged as a standout initiative, empowering rural artisans, including those from NABARD-supported Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Producer Organisations (POs), and tribal creators, to reach a national audience by listing their products on platforms like the NABARD-supported Mystore App on the ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce). During the Mahotsav, ONDC has witnessed around 41 proposals in the pipeline, 25 producers onboarded, and 2 are live during GBM.

The event featured workshops and showcases on infrastructure, agriculture, financial inclusion, and tech-driven growth, while emphasizing women entrepreneurs, skill development, and leadership. NABARD is strengthening rural ecosystems by diversifying financial services, collectivizing institutions, and consolidating rural banks. By reversing the supply-demand equation through microcredit and shared service models, we aim to increase rural economic activities. Through partnerships with NRLM and stakeholders, we envision a significant contribution of “Grameen Bharat” to the national economy in its march towards a ‘Viksit Bharat’ thereby ensuring inclusive growth for all.

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