E-Paper
Govt enhances target for lakhpati didi scheme to 30 million
The ambitious goal of creating “lakhpati didis” was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address to the nation last year
New Delhi The Centre has decided to increase the target for creating “lakhpati didis”, to empower women members of self-help groups (SHGs), from 20 million to 30 million, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday.
The ambitious goal of creating “lakhpati didis” was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address to the nation last year. The Centre also launched the Lakhpati Didi Yojana last year, wherein each SHG household is encouraged to take up multiple livelihood activities coupled with value chain interventions, resulting in a sustainable income of ₹1 lakh or more per year.
In December, Modi announced that the government has set a target of making 20 million female members associated with SHGs “lakhpati didis” in the country in the next three years.
Announcing an increase in the target, Sitharaman, while presenting the interim Union Budget in Parliament, said: “Eighty-three lakh SHGs with nine crore women are transforming the rural socio-economic landscape with empowerment and self-reliance. Their success has assisted nearly one crore women to become ‘lakhpati didis’ already. Buoyed by the success, it has been decided to enhance the target of ‘lakhpati didis’ from two crore to three crore.”
The finance minister said the empowerment of women through entrepreneurship, ease of living and dignity has gained momentum in the last 10 years. “Thirty crore Mudra Yojana loans have been given to women entrepreneurs,” she said.
Sitharaman stressed the need to focus on four major groups, i.e., poor, women, youth and farmers, and said their needs and welfare are the government’s priorities.
She also discussed the initiatives taken by the government in the last 10 years for women empowerment, including a ban on triple talaq, reservation of one third seats for women in Parliament and state assemblies, and allocation of over 70% of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana to women.
Union women and child development minister Smriti Irani said women own 70% of the houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin scheme. “Due to this change, the respect for women power has increased in society today. To fulfil the vision of a developed India, construction work of two crore additional houses will be started in the next five years,” she said in a post on X.
