'Go rural' is the slogan of marketing gurus after analyzing the socio-economic changes in villages. The Rural population is nearly three times that of urban, so that rural consumers have become the prime target market for consumer durable and non-durable products. The present paper seeks to analyse the problems and challenges as well as opportunities offered by the Indian rural markets. It also suggests the strategies to improve market penetration. The study provides insights into Shakti and e-choupal women empowerment programmes launched by FMCG sector corporations.