Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) major Hindustan Unilever has grown its women empowerment project Shakti by 50 per cent over the last three years.

Over 1,60,000 women participate in Shakti, a project that was introduced in the early 2000s. These women are called Shakti Ammas and are present in 18 States in the country.

“The first idea was to run a project that allows us to fulfill social obligations but also help our products be available in packs. India has 6,00,000 villages and we are present in 1,25,000 villages and we can go up to 1,75,000 villages. We used to have 1,00,000 Shakti Ammas and that has expanded,” said Kedar Lele, Executive Director of Customer Development, Hindustan Unilever Limited.

The company further plans to add up to 25,000 Shakti Ammas every two years.

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“In the last two years, we have been able to get about 85,000 Shakti Ammas on a smartphone and give them access to the Shikhar application. We also decided we will transfer the commission that we pay to Shakti Ammas directly to their account and each get their money every month,” said Lele.

Uptick in sales

Reverse migration during the coronavirus to the rural areas resulted in an uptick in demand for premium products for the company.

“Reverse migration of population to villages helped in growth. The demand for laundry powder Surf Excel and utensil cleaners in liquid and bar format were witnessed. Things that we could not sell in rural areas have become more visible now,” added Lele

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