CM Dhami's Lakhpati Didi Drive Turns 23,000 Women Self-Reliant in Nainital
Synopsis
The Uttarakhand CMO reports that 23,000 women in Nainital district have achieved Lakhpati Didi status — earning over one lakh rupees annually — under CM Pushkar Singh Dhami's empowerment drive since 2021-22, aligning with the national Aatmanirbhar Bharat framework.
Key Takeaways
23,000 women in Nainital district have become Lakhpati Didis since 2021-22 , earning at least one lakh rupees per year.
The milestone was announced by the Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand on 9 July 2026 .
The scheme operates through self-help groups (SHGs) under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission framework.
The drive is credited to the leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami , who has been in office since March 2021 .
The initiative is positioned as part of the national Aatmanirbhar Bharat campaign launched in 2020 .
The Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand announced on Thursday, 9 July 2026, that women empowerment schemes under the leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami have transformed livelihoods in Nainital district, with 23,000 women becoming Lakhpati Didis — earning at least one lakh rupees annually — since 2021-22.
Posting in Hindi, the official handle stated: 'महिला सशक्तिकरण की योजनाएं बदलाव की मिसाल कायम कर रही हैं' ('Women empowerment schemes are setting an example of transformation'), crediting Chief Minister Dhami's leadership for the milestone.
Context
The Lakhpati Didi initiative is a state-level programme channelled through self-help groups (SHGs) that aims to lift rural women's household incomes to a minimum of one lakh rupees per year. In Nainital, a district spanning both hill terrain and terai plains, the programme has been active since the 2021-22 financial year, coinciding with the Dhami government's assumption of office in March 2021. The announcement comes with the hashtags #AatmanirbharBharat, #Womenempowerment, #Nainital, and #Uttarakhand, situating the state's effort within the broader national self-reliance campaign launched in 2020.Policy Backdrop
The Lakhpati Didi scheme draws on the architecture of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), launched by the Central government in 2011 to scale SHG-based livelihood interventions for rural women across India. Uttarakhand expanded its NRLM-linked women empowerment activities after 2021, aligning district-level targets with the post-2020 Aatmanirbhar Bharat framework that emphasises grassroots economic self-reliance. Several states have adopted comparable Lakhpati Didi targets as a measurable benchmark for raising household incomes through SHGs, making the district-level figure from Nainital part of a wider national pattern of rural women's economic inclusion.Stakeholders and Impact
The primary beneficiaries are rural women organised into self-help groups across Nainital district. Reaching the 'Lakhpati Didi' threshold means a woman's SHG-linked income — through micro-enterprises, handicrafts, agriculture, or allied activities — crosses the one lakh rupee annual mark, moving her household above subsistence-level dependence. For a district like Nainital, where livelihoods are split between tourism-linked services in the hills and farming in the terai belt, the SHG model provides an income floor that is not tied to seasonal tourism cycles. The 23,000-strong cohort of Lakhpati Didis represents a significant share of the district's rural women workforce.What's Next
Attention will now turn to district-wise rollout data from other parts of Uttarakhand to assess whether the Nainital numbers can be replicated across hill districts with more challenging connectivity. Budget provisions for the scheme in the next Uttarakhand legislative session will be a key indicator of whether the state intends to scale the programme further. If comparable milestones are reported from districts such as Haridwar, Dehradun, or Udham Singh Nagar, the cumulative statewide beneficiary count could become a significant political and policy benchmark ahead of the next assembly cycle.Point of View
Aspirational benchmark — 'one lakh rupees per woman' — that translates an abstract empowerment goal into a concrete, communicable number. Lakhpati Didi targets have become a common political currency across multiple state governments, reflecting a broader shift toward income-threshold metrics in welfare communication. For CM Dhami, publicising district-level milestones serves a dual purpose: demonstrating administrative delivery and anchoring the state's identity within the Centre's Aatmanirbhar Bharat narrative. The key test will be whether independent assessments of SHG income data corroborate the headline figures.
NationPress
9 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Lakhpati Didi scheme in Uttarakhand?
The Lakhpati Didi scheme in Uttarakhand is a programme that helps rural women organised in self-help groups earn at least one lakh rupees per year through micro-enterprises and allied livelihood activities, implemented under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission framework.
How many women became Lakhpati Didi in Nainital?
According to the Uttarakhand CMO, 23,000 women in Nainital district have become Lakhpati Didis since 2021-22 .
What is the Aatmanirbhar Bharat connection to Lakhpati Didi?
Aatmanirbhar Bharat is a national self-reliance campaign launched in 2020 that includes components for women's economic participation; state Lakhpati Didi schemes are positioned as ground-level implementation of this broader national framework.
Who is Pushkar Singh Dhami?
Pushkar Singh Dhami is the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand , in office since March 2021 , under whose leadership the state has expanded women empowerment and rural livelihood programmes.
What is NRLM and how does it relate to women empowerment in Uttarakhand?
The National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), launched by the Central government in 2011, provides the policy and funding architecture for self-help group-based livelihood programmes; Uttarakhand's Lakhpati Didi drive is built on this framework.
