MAM
Womaniya on GeM opens government procurement market to women entrepreneurs
Over 2.1 lakh women-led MSEs tap public procurement via digital platform
NEW DELHI: The Womaniya Initiative is steadily reshaping how women entrepreneurs access government markets, with over 2.1 lakh women-led micro and small enterprises now registered on the Government e Marketplace.
Launched in 2019 under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the initiative enables women entrepreneurs and self-help groups to sell directly to government buyers through a dedicated digital interface, cutting through traditional barriers such as limited market access and reliance on intermediaries.
Public procurement has long been one of India’s largest organised markets. With the rise of GeM, a fully digital, paperless and cashless procurement platform, the system has become more transparent and accessible. Womaniya builds on this foundation by creating a focused pathway for women-led enterprises to participate in government supply chains.
The scale of participation is already notable. In FY 2025-26, women entrepreneurs on GeM secured an order volume of 13.7 lakh, with contracts worth over Rs 28,000 crore awarded to women-led businesses. This accounts for 5.6 per cent of total procurement on the platform, comfortably exceeding the mandated 3 per cent target.
The initiative focuses on product categories where women entrepreneurs already have a strong presence, including handicrafts, handloom textiles, coir products, home décor and office accessories. These are grouped under curated storefronts, making it easier for government departments to discover and procure from women-led suppliers.
Beyond listings, Womaniya is also about capability building. Entrepreneurs are onboarded digitally through Udyam verification, supported by training workshops, buyer-seller meets and vernacular outreach programmes. The platform ensures standardised cataloguing, transparent bidding and time-bound payments, which are critical for small businesses operating with limited capital.
The initiative works in tandem with SWAYATT, a broader programme aimed at improving access to public procurement for startups, women, youth and marginalised groups. Together, they form a wider push towards inclusive economic participation.
At the grassroots level, self-help groups continue to play a vital role. With over 10 crore women mobilised into lakhs of SHGs nationwide, the pipeline of potential entrepreneurs is steadily expanding, strengthening the ecosystem further.
What began as a targeted inclusion effort is now evolving into one of the country’s largest organised procurement channels for women-led enterprises. By linking digital infrastructure with on-ground mobilisation, Womaniya is not just opening doors, it is helping women walk confidently through them into formal economic participation.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
