Prayagraj leads in empowering rural women through village groups

Prayagraj leads Uttar Pradesh in empowering rural women through NRLM, forming 2,191 gram sangathans and benefiting over 2.74 lakh families.

HT Correspondent

SHGs’ members holding a meeting (File Photo)

: The leading district in Uttar Pradesh for empowering rural women through the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) is Prayagraj, according to district officials. The mission supports the creation of self-help groups (SHGs), which are then brought together to form gram sangathan’s (village organisations). These larger groups help women become financially independent and actively involved in community development.

Each gram sangathan includes between five and twenty SHGs. Through them, women gain access to important government schemes and receive support to increase their income, said Sharad Kumar Singh, mission district manager. He added that Prayagraj is ahead in implementing the initiative.

So far, the district has formed 2,191 gram sangathans, with over 80% involved in community activities. These are linked to 25,018 SHGs, benefiting over 2.74 lakh families across Prayagraj.

The Uttar Pradesh State rural livelihood mission provides ₹75,000 to each gram sangathan. From this, ₹25,000 is used for furniture and equipment, while ₹50,000 supports office expenses like rent and staff salaries for up to three years. These groups are helping women start small businesses such as vegetable farming, tailoring, and goat farming by accessing collective loans from banks.