Tata Communications, in partnership with the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), has launched its first dedicated multi-specialty retail store under Project UDAYA, a corporate social responsibility initiative aimed at strengthening women-led entrepreneurship and supporting persons with disabilities (PwDs).
The newly inaugurated store, named Udaya Bazaar, is located in Alibaug, Maharashtra, and will showcase products created by women entrepreneurs and PwDs supported through the project. The initiative aims to provide grassroots entrepreneurs with improved market access and create opportunities for sustainable income generation and greater economic independence.
Project UDAYA focuses on promoting entrepreneurship among women from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) communities, members of Self Help Groups (SHGs), and persons with disabilities. Through entrepreneurship training, enterprise development and market access initiatives, the project seeks to help participants establish and grow sustainable businesses.
Key Highlights:
- Udaya Bazaar launched in Alibaug to support women entrepreneurs and PwDs
- Project UDAYA trained over 1,650 women and supported 950+ micro-enterprises
- The store promotes market access, women-led leadership and local economic growth
The development of Udaya Bazaar is an important milestone in this process of taking entrepreneurs from the idea of training and enterprise creation to the marketplace. The store will offer a specific platform to the entrepreneurs to sell their products directly to customers and promote their business.
Project UDAYA participants will constitute a Women Entrepreneurs Association to run the retail store. The program aims to build the capacities of women-led institutions and promote women's leadership at the community level, as well as to provide long-term opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
Project UDAYA has grown and cornered a lot of Maharashtra districts over the years including the districts of Pune, Raigad and Ratnagiri. It is now being implemented in 126 villages of 25 blocks which also include some remote and underserved villages.
The project has engaged in over 1650 women entrepreneurs training and helped create over 950 female-led and PWDs-led micro-enterprises. These entrepreneurs have come up with the products in various fields such as food processing, handicrafts, textiles, wellness, home décor and other locally produced products.
“Tata Communications' community development initiative is aimed at having a long lasting and sustainable impact on the community,” said a spokesperson for the company.
We believe that businesses can only be truly successful when communities are truly successful and our CSR programs are truly an investment for the long-term and not a short-term fix that damages communities, causes them to feel weakened and leaves them with no opportunity to share prosperity, the Tata Communications spokesperson continued.
The company also highlighted that its CSR efforts resulted in a positive impact on over 11.2 lakh lives in FY26. The new platform will enable women entrepreneurs and PWDs to share their confidence, determination and entrepreneurial skills, which will create opportunities to explore the model and reach out to different markets and communities, the spokesperson added.
Dr. Prakash Solanki, Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) said that, with this tie up with Tata Communications, the institution had created an opportunity to build meaningful avenues for grassroot entrepreneurs.
He said that the store is much more than a retail outlet and that they are very proud of what they have accomplished with Tata Communications; it is a symbol of empowerment, inclusion and local economic growth.
Dr. Solanki says each of the products hawked in the store embodies women's aspirations, resilience and entrepreneurial spirit to create better lives for themselves, their families and communities.
Project UDAYA seeks to enhance the participation of women entrepreneurs and PwD in the market and create a sustainable market ecosystem with the launch of Udaya Bazaar for entrepreneurship and inclusion for the local economic development.
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