The Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, highlighted the state government's ongoing efforts to economically empower rural women through the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), spotlighting the Hilans Kitchen initiative in Nainital as a successful model of dignified self-employment under the Lakhpati Didi campaign. The post, shared from the official CMO handle, stated that the Uttarakhand government is 'continuously taking effective steps towards making women economically empowered and self-reliant through the National Rural Livelihood Mission.' It described Hilans Kitchen, launched under the Lakhpati Didi campaign, as having 'emerged as a successful means of dignified self-employment for women.'

Context

The Hilans Kitchen initiative operates in Nainital district, a hill region of Uttarakhand where geographic and economic challenges have historically limited livelihood options for women. By anchoring the venture within the NRLM's self-help group (SHG) framework, the state is channelling an established central scheme into a locally relevant food-processing enterprise. The initiative reflects Uttarakhand's broader push to adapt national welfare programmes to the specific terrain and resource base of its hill communities.

Policy Backdrop

The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) was launched by the central government in 2011 with the primary objective of organising rural poor households — particularly women — into SHGs and linking them to sustainable income sources. The Lakhpati Didi campaign, scaled up significantly from 2023, set an explicit target of generating at least Rs 1 lakh in annual household income for each participating SHG member through diversified livelihood activities. Uttarakhand's deployment of this campaign through localised ventures such as Hilans Kitchen represents the kind of state-level adaptation the mission's design encourages, particularly in regions where conventional employment avenues are limited.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries are rural women in Nainital who are members of self-help groups affiliated with the NRLM network. By providing a structured, income-generating enterprise rooted in food processing — a sector that draws on skills many women in the region already possess — Hilans Kitchen aims to convert informal domestic labour into formalised, remunerated work. The broader SHG ecosystem also benefits: collective ownership and group accountability, hallmarks of the NRLM model, are built into the venture's structure. State officials and district administration in Nainital are the implementing partners responsible for operational oversight.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to whether the Hilans Kitchen model can be replicated across other districts of Uttarakhand, particularly in similarly remote hill areas where women's economic participation remains low. Progress on income levels actually achieved by participating households — and whether they meet the Rs 1 lakh annual threshold that defines the Lakhpati Didi benchmark — will be the key metric to watch. If Nainital's model demonstrates measurable income gains, it could serve as a template for scaling NRLM-linked food enterprises across the state's thirteen districts.