Navratri Puja Combo Packs Help Women Entrepreneurs Expand Their Businesses
Under the Yogi Government’s Initiative, 65 Prerna Marts Provide a Market for Local Products and Create Livelihood Opportunities for Self-Help Group Members
Varanasi, October 2026: As chants in praise of Goddess Durga resonate in homes across the country during Navratri, a group of women in Murdaha village in Varanasi district is busy preparing puja combo packs. While one carefully arranges sacred chunris, another weighs roli and sandalwood powder, and others pack havan materials. Their products are now reaching local markets, turning traditional skills into opportunities for financial independence.
Women from the Maheshwari Self-Help Group in Murdaha Gram Panchayat, under the Harahua block, are transforming the seasonal demand for Navratri पूजा materials into a source of livelihood. Their combo packs contain essential items for worship, ranging from chunris offered to the goddess to materials required for havan and other rituals.
Complete Puja Essentials in One Pack
Niharika Devi and Seema Devi, along with other members of the Maheshwari Self-Help Group, begin work early in the morning. Each woman has a specific task. While some arrange chunris, others measure roli and sandalwood powder or pack sindoor, akshat, incense sticks, camphor, kalawa and havan materials.
These items are assembled into convenient Navratri puja combo packs, allowing devotees to purchase essential worship materials in one place instead of visiting multiple shops.
Recognising the increased demand for puja supplies during festivals, the women have developed a product that combines convenience for customers with an additional income opportunity for their families.
65 Prerna Marts Provide a Market for Women Entrepreneurs
Finding customers and ensuring that products reach the market can be a major challenge for small producers. The Prerna Marts, established under the Yogi government's initiatives to promote women's empowerment and economic self-reliance in rural areas, are helping address this challenge.
According to Pawan Kumar Singh, Deputy Commissioner (Self-Employment), eight Prerna Marts operate in each of Varanasi district's eight blocks, while another mart functions at the district headquarters. This brings the total to 65 Prerna Marts across the district.
These outlets are operated by women from self-help groups and provide a platform for marketing and selling locally produced goods.
From Producers to Entrepreneurs
Pooja Tiwari, Block Mission Manager, said the Prerna Marts enable women to participate not only in manufacturing products but also in their sale and marketing. This involvement is helping them build confidence and establish their identities as entrepreneurs.
During Navratri, when devotees worship the nine forms of Goddess Durga, the women of Murdaha are demonstrating the practical meaning of empowerment through teamwork, enterprise and determination.
By organising themselves into groups, managing production and reaching customers through local markets, they are strengthening their economic independence while contributing to their families' financial well-being.
Women Share Their Experiences
Niharika Devi of the Maheshwari Self-Help Group said, “During Navratri, the puja packs we prepare are reaching people through the Prerna Marts. This is helping increase women's income. We are happy that our work is contributing to strengthening our families' financial condition.”
Seema Devi said joining the self-help group had opened new opportunities for women who were previously largely occupied with household responsibilities.
“After becoming part of the self-help group, we got an opportunity to do something new. The opportunities provided by the government to help women move forward are encouraging for us,” she said.
Pawan Kumar Singh said preparing festival-specific puja combo packs offers women a valuable opportunity to increase their earnings. He added that these initiatives connect traditional skills with market demand and strengthen the spirit of collective enterprise among self-help group members.
Through their Navratri initiative, the women of Murdaha are demonstrating how local skills, collective effort and access to markets can create sustainable livelihood opportunities and strengthen rural women's economic independence.
