Gujarat has recorded 5.96 lakh women achieving 'Lakhpati Didi' status as of June 2025, crossing the annual household income threshold of ₹1 lakh under the central government's rural livelihood programme. The milestone, reported by state officials in Gandhinagar, reflects the scale of self-help group-based income generation across rural Gujarat under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

Scale of the Initiative

The Gujarat Livelihood Promotion Company has identified 10 lakh potential beneficiaries under the Lakhpati Didi initiative statewide. Of these, 5.96 lakh women have already met the income benchmark, according to official figures. The scheme provides rural women with training, access to credit, financial support, and market linkages through self-help groups (SHGs).

To drive implementation, the state has deployed 124 master trainers at district and taluka levels. These trainers — who received instruction from national-level resource persons — have in turn trained more than 10,000 Community Resource Persons, including Krishi Sakhis, Pashu Sakhis, and Bank Sakhis.

Women Behind the Numbers

Bhavana Patel of Nogama village in Navsari district's Chikhli taluka joined the Gayatri Sakhi Mandal in 2014 and began canteen and catering services after attending National Rural Livelihood Mission programmes. She now operates a canteen at the Navsari Collector's Office alongside her SHG members. According to official figures, her income streams — ₹2 lakh from the canteen, ₹5 lakh from catering, ₹1 lakh from agriculture, and ₹2.16 lakh from other sources — add up to a total annual income of ₹10.16 lakh.

Shilpa Pandya of Nenpur village in Kheda district's Mehmedabad taluka has built a food processing enterprise producing natural syrups in lemon, strawberry, guava, and panchamrut flavours. A member of the Shilpa Sakhi Mandal since 2010, she expanded her business after completing food processing training at the Rural Self-Employment Training Institute (R-SETI). Her enterprise now generates approximately ₹10 lakh annually, according to state officials, while also creating employment for other women in her area.

Policy Context

The Lakhpati Didi initiative sits within a wider ecosystem of central government programmes targeting women's financial inclusion — including the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, PM Mudra Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, PM Awas Yojana, and Beti Bachao Beti Padhao. The Gujarat milestone is being cited by officials in the context of 12 years of policy focus on women-led development under the current central government.

Notably, Gujarat's progress — with nearly 60% of the identified 10 lakh target already reached — positions the state as one of the more advanced performers under DAY-NRLM, though independent verification of income claims has not been detailed in official communications.

What Comes Next

State officials indicated that efforts to bring the remaining identified beneficiaries up to Lakhpati Didi status are ongoing, with the community resource network expected to play a central role in outreach. The experiences of women such as Bhavanaben and Shilpaben are being used as replicable models to encourage SHG-based enterprise formation across rural Gujarat.