The Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand on Thursday, 23 July 2026 quoted Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stating that nearly 5 lakh women across the state are now writing a new story of economic self-reliance through self-employment, linked via more than 70,000 Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

Context

Speaking on the state's rural livelihood landscape, CM Dhami said — 'aaj pradesh ki lagbhag 5 lakh mahilaen 70 hazar se adhik swayam sahayata samuh ke madhyam se swarozgar se judkar aarthik aatmanirbharta ki nayi kahani likh rahi hain' — ('Today, nearly 5 lakh women of the state are writing a new story of economic self-reliance by connecting with self-employment through more than 70,000 Self-Help Groups'). The statement underscores the state government's emphasis on women-led grassroots economic activity as a measurable development indicator.

Uttarakhand, with its largely hilly and geographically dispersed terrain, has long relied on community-based structures to deliver economic opportunities to women in remote districts. SHGs serve as the primary vehicle for microfinance access, skill training, and collective enterprise in such regions.

Policy Backdrop

The SHG movement in India gained national institutional backing with the launch of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) in 2011, which aimed to federate women's groups, link them to formal banking systems, and promote sustainable self-employment. The Uttarakhand State Rural Livelihood Mission (USRLM) was established as the state-level implementing body to adapt this framework to the specific challenges of hill districts.

Across India, SHGs have been positioned as a cornerstone of the Atmanirbhar Bharat agenda, enabling financial inclusion for women who are otherwise excluded from formal credit markets. In Uttarakhand, the focus has been on sectors such as handicrafts, dairy, and agri-processing — areas where women already lead household-level production.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of this network are rural women across Uttarakhand's hill and valley districts, many of whom are first-generation earners in the formal or semi-formal economy. SHG membership provides not only income-generating opportunities but also access to group savings, credit, and market linkages that individual women would struggle to secure independently.

The scale cited — 5 lakh women across 70,000-plus groups — signals a broad institutional footprint. Each SHG typically comprises 10 to 20 members, suggesting the network spans a significant share of the state's rural female population. State governments regularly cite such figures as evidence of progress on gender-inclusive economic indicators.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to Uttarakhand's upcoming rural development budget allocations and any formal progress report or impact evaluation covering SHG bank linkages and income outcomes. The state's ability to deepen credit access, expand market linkages, and federate existing groups into higher-order producer collectives will determine whether the current scale translates into sustained economic mobility for these 5 lakh women. Policy analysts will also watch for alignment with central NRLM targets and any new state-specific incentives announced in the next fiscal cycle.