Year-End Review 2024: The DAY-NRLM Initiative by the Centre Creates 1.15 Crore Lakhpati Didis, Aims for 3 Crore
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New Delhi, Dec 31 (NationPress) The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) initiative has effectively facilitated the emergence of 1.15 crore Lakhpati Didis, who earn Rs 1 lakh or more annually, contributing to the Centre's mission of empowering women in rural territories. The objective is to achieve a total of 3 crore Lakhpati Didis, as revealed in the year-end assessment by the Ministry of Rural Development on Tuesday.
This initiative concentrates on empowering women to attain financial independence by assisting them in expanding their enterprises and promoting sustainable development throughout rural India.
The primary goal of the DAY-NRLM is to reduce poverty by enabling impoverished households to access productive self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, leading to significant enhancements in their livelihoods on a sustainable basis, through the establishment of robust grassroots institutions for the underprivileged.
The program emphasizes the development of community entities such as Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Village Organisations (VOs), and Cluster Level Federations (CLFs), offering rural communities a platform for mutual assistance, savings, and credit availability. These groups pool resources to combat poverty effectively.
With the aim of providing universal access to financial services, DAY-NRLM also extends vital assistance in remote regions by appointing women as Banking Correspondent (BC) Sakhis, thereby facilitating the distribution of banking services, loans, and social security schemes like pensions and insurance.
The initiative empowers women farmers by promoting agroecological practices, livestock management, and improved market access. It fosters training and capacity building to boost productivity and minimize costs.
Moreover, DAY-NRLM aids women in launching micro-enterprises in sectors such as handicrafts, food processing, and small-scale manufacturing. The program encourages landless rural women to engage in income-generating activities, particularly focusing on micro-enterprises that utilize local resources.
This initiative places women at the forefront of development by forming SHGs and federating them into VOs and CLFs. It cultivates social capital by involving women in decision-making, thereby reinforcing trust and cooperation within rural communities. Over 6 lakh trained Community Resource Persons are engaged in thematic areas including livestock, agriculture, and financial services.
SHGs serve as the backbone of DAY-NRLM, with approximately 5 lakh VOs and 32,000 CLFs facilitating collective empowerment. These federations create a platform for joint action, decision-making, and resource access.
DAY-NRLM adopts a bottom-up approach, engaging rural communities in the planning and implementation of development activities through village-level meetings, consultations, and participatory rural appraisals.
More than 1.35 lakh SHG members are designated as BCAs (also referred to as BC Sakhis), enhancing access to banking services, including deposits, credit, remittances, pensions, and insurance.
Additionally, the Women Enterprise Acceleration Fund (WEAF) initiative supports women entrepreneurs within SHGs by offering debt financing and credit guarantees. Women can obtain loans up to Rs 5 lakh with a 2 percent interest subvention for timely repayment, promoting women-led businesses and driving economic development.
DAY-NRLM motivates rural communities to adopt healthier practices and utilize government services, including the Swachh Bharat Mission, Poshan Abhiyan, and more. It emphasizes Food, Nutrition, Health, and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene).
