Gandhinagar, June 9 (IANS) Gujarat has reported more than 5.96 lakh women achieving the status of ‘Lakhpati Didi’, marking a significant milestone in rural women’s income generation and economic participation under the central government’s livelihood programmes.
The achievement comes as the country marks 12 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure, during which several initiatives aimed at women’s financial inclusion and entrepreneurship have been introduced.
Programmes such as the Swachh Bharat Mission, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, PM Mudra Yojana, PM Awas Yojana and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao have been promoted as part of a broader focus on women-led development.
According to the state government, the Gujarat Livelihood Promotion Company has identified 10 lakh potential beneficiaries under the Lakhpati Didi initiative, of whom 5.96 lakh women have already crossed the annual household income threshold of Rs one lakh required to be recognised as Lakhpati Didis.
Implemented under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), the scheme seeks to strengthen rural women’s livelihoods through self-help groups by providing training, access to credit, financial support and market linkages.
To support implementation, the state has appointed 124 master trainers at district and taluka levels.
These trainers, who received instruction from national-level resource persons, have subsequently trained more than 10,000 Community Resource Persons, including Krishi Sakhis, Pashu Sakhis and Bank Sakhis.
Among the beneficiaries is Bhavana Patel from Nogama village in Navsari district’s Chikhli taluka.
Associated with the Gayatri Sakhi Mandal since 2014, she began providing canteen and catering services after learning about livelihood opportunities through programmes conducted under the National Rural Livelihood Mission.
Bhavana now operates a canteen at the Navsari Collector’s Office and provides catering services with members of her self-help group.
According to official figures, she earns Rs two lakh annually from the canteen business, Rs five lakh from catering services, Rs one lakh from agriculture and Rs 2.16 lakh from other sources, taking her total annual income to Rs 10.16 lakh.
Another beneficiary, Shilpa Pandya from Nenpur village in Kheda district’s Mehmedabad taluka, has built a food processing enterprise that produces natural syrups in flavours such as lemon, strawberry, guava, and panchamrut.
A member of the Shilpa Sakhi Mandal since 2010, she expanded her business after receiving food processing training through the Rural Self-Employment Training Institute (R-SETI).
The state government said Shilpaben’s enterprise now generates an annual income of around Rs 10 lakh while also creating livelihood opportunities for other women in her area.
Officials said the experiences of women such as Bhavanaben and Shilpaben reflect the broader growth of self-help group-based enterprises across rural Gujarat, where thousands of women are increasing their incomes and contributing to local economic activity through the Lakhpati Didi initiative.
–IANS
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