Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi on Tuesday, 30 June said that women linked to Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in Tripura are making a measurable contribution to the national goal of a Viksit Bharat by 2047, citing their expanding footprint in economic and social development. The Minister made the remarks while interacting with SHG members at Dukli Block in West Tripura district during the final day of a three-day state visit.

Key Numbers Behind Tripura's SHG Movement

Addressing the gathering, Annapurna Devi highlighted the scale of the SHG network both nationally and in the state. More than 10 crore women across India are currently enrolled in Self-Help Groups. In Tripura alone, there are 54,000 SHGs with 5.40 lakh women connected to them.

Nationally, nearly 3 crore women have been recognised as Lakhpati Didis — SHG members whose annual household income exceeds ₹1 lakh. Of these, 1.30 lakh are from Tripura, underscoring the state's relative progress within the programme. The SHGs in Tripura operate under the Tripura Rural Livelihood Mission (TRLM), which the Minister described as a vital engine for the state's socio-economic development.

Call to Action on Child Marriage

The Minister used the platform to urge SHG members to take an active role in eliminating child marriage, reiterating the Centre's commitment to achieving a Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat (Child Marriage-Free India). She noted that a dedicated officer has been deployed in every Gram Panchayat to monitor child marriage cases.

She also observed that a growing number of young girls are now voluntarily coming forward to report child marriages — a trend she described as an encouraging sign of rising social awareness. SHGs, she emphasised, must be at the forefront of these community-level interventions alongside their economic activities.

Scheme Review and State Performance

On the second day of her visit, Monday, the Minister chaired a review of schemes and projects implemented by Tripura's Social Welfare and Social Education Department. The meeting was attended by Tripura Social Welfare and Social Education Minister Tinku Roy and senior officials from both the Central and state governments.

During the review, Annapurna Devi appreciated Tripura's effective implementation of Central welfare schemes and noted that the state's best practices would be shared with other states as a model. She also invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' as the broader framework guiding these efforts.

Products, Entrepreneurship, and What Comes Next

Following the interaction with SHG members, the Minister visited exhibition stalls displaying products manufactured by the groups — a visible demonstration of the entrepreneurial output these collectives have generated at the grassroots level. She described the dedication, entrepreneurial spirit, and self-reliance of Tripura's SHG members as 'truly inspiring.'

With the Centre deepening its focus on rural women's economic empowerment ahead of the 2047 development milestone, the spotlight on Tripura's SHG ecosystem is likely to grow — particularly as the Lakhpati Didi programme scales nationally.