Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday, 9 July 2026, attended the 'Didi Ke Goth Varshikotsav-2026' — the annual festival and cluster-level organisational conference of self-help groups — held in the state capital Raipur. He personally interacted with didiyon (women members) who had travelled from across the state and felicitated outstanding performers under the Chhattisgarh State Rural Livelihood Mission 'Bihan'.

Context

Posting on X after the event, CM Sai wrote that lakhs of sisters associated with Bihan have proved that 'jab mahilaon ko avsar, vishwas aur sahi manch milta hai' ('when women are given opportunity, trust, and the right platform'), they become the most powerful foundation of progress for family, society, and the state. The occasion also marked the completion of one successful year of the 'Didi Ke Goth' programme, and the Chief Minister extended congratulations to all participants, collaborators, and organisers connected with the initiative.

The conference brought together self-help group members from every district of Chhattisgarh, making it one of the largest annual gatherings under the state's rural livelihood architecture. Groups that demonstrated exemplary work during the year were recognised with formal honours at the event.

Policy Backdrop

The Bihan mission is Chhattisgarh's state-level implementation of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), the Government of India framework launched in 2011 to mobilise rural poor women into self-help groups for sustainable livelihoods and financial inclusion. The community-driven architecture of DAY-NRLM has been adopted across multiple states, with recognition ceremonies for high-performing groups becoming a standard feature to sustain participation and visibility.

Chhattisgarh's programme follows this model, channelling credit linkages, skill training, and market access through women's collectives. The cluster-level conference format allows the state to consolidate group-level learnings and cascade policy priorities down to the grassroots.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries are rural women organised into self-help groups across Chhattisgarh, whose collective savings, micro-credit activity, and livelihood enterprises are supported through Bihan. The mission's reach, described by CM Sai as covering 'lakhs of sisters', places it among the larger state-level NRLM implementations in central India.

By publicly honouring outstanding groups, the state government aims to create visible role models within the SHG ecosystem, encouraging sustained participation and peer motivation among women who might otherwise disengage from the programme after initial enrolment.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to whether the 2026-27 state budget expands allocations for Bihan and how the programme integrates with updated central DAY-NRLM guidelines in the next fiscal cycle. The Chief Minister's public endorsement at the Varshikotsav signals continued political prioritisation of women's livelihood schemes, which analysts expect to feature prominently in the state government's mid-term policy messaging ahead of local-body elections.