Nirmala Sitharaman, the Minister of Finance, made the announcement regarding the expansion of the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ plan for women as she was presenting the Union Budget. The programme, which aims to empower women in rural regions, would now target three crore women as its target population. It was originally planned that the programme would reach two crore women, but that number has since been raised to three crore.
During her speech, Ms. Sitharaman praised the role that self-help groups (SHGs) play in making the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ plan a success. She stated that SHGs have a good impact on the lives of crores of women living in rural areas. In her statement, the Minister of Finance noted that 83 lakh self-help groups (SHGs) jointly have an impact on the lives of more than 9 crore women.
Moreover, Ms. Sitharaman stated that these self-help groups (SHGs) have emerged as agents of change, reshaping the economy of rural areas by providing women with the ability to become financially independent.
In addition to extending the Lakhpati Didi programme, the Minister of Finance also stated that the Ayushmann Bharat programme would be expanded to include workers at Anganwadi and ASHA, as well as the helpers already employed at those organisations.
More about the Lakhpati Didi scheme
On the previous Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement that he was working on an ambitious project called Lakhpati Didi from the Red Fort. Through the provision of the requisite training, the programme intends to empower rural women and assist them in earning a sustainable income of at least one lakh a year.
As part of the programme, it is anticipated that crores of low-income women who are members of self-help groups (SHGs) will have positive outcomes. In its most basic form, the plan is a programme designed to help these women improve their skills. Essential skill training will be provided to these women in order to equip them with the ability to generate money on their own and improve their lives. These ladies will also receive instruction on how to launch their own small-scale companies while they are participating in the seminar.
The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana—National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) is the organisation that is responsible for launching the Lakhpati Didi project. This programme, known as DAY-NRLM, is the flagship initiative of the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), which aims to reduce poverty by constructing robust institutions for the underprivileged, with a particular focus on women.
Each household that is a member of a self-help group (SHG) is encouraged to participate in several livelihood activities as part of the Lakhpati Didi plan of the Day-NRLM. These activities, along with value chain interventions, are designed to assist women in achieving a sustainable income of at least one lakh rupees.
As a result of the fact that the majority of impoverished women living in rural areas are only dependent on agriculture for their means of subsistence, it was determined that it was necessary to offer them skill training in order for them to be able to launch their own small companies and earn a living.
With the assistance of self-help groups (SHGs), the programme intends to enhance the socio-economic position of women in rural areas as well as the quality of life of those who are economically disadvantaged in those places.