Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said the Union government will work to achieve the target of creating six crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’ under the rural livelihoods mission by 2029-30.
He said the earlier target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to create three crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’ by the end of 2027 was achieved by 2025. He credited the rural development ministry team, bankers and state governments for this achievement.
Chouhan stated this at the Central Level Coordination Committee (CLCC) meeting and the national launch event under DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission) held here. Explaining the term, he said a ‘Lakhpati Didi’ is a woman whose net annual income is Rs 1 lakh or more. As of now, 3.01 crore women have reached this milestone.
Speaking to mediapersons, he said the Prime Minister has now revised the target. “Now we have to make six crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’. Ten crore sisters have joined Self Help Groups (SHGs). The target is to make six crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’. We have prepared a roadmap for this,” he said. He noted that it was easier to achieve the earlier target of three crore because many women were already earning between Rs 50,000 and Rs 60,000 annually. However, he said increasing the income of women who earn less will require greater effort and focused support.
“We will try to achieve this target by 2029-30. It is more difficult compared to the earlier goal,” he added. Chouhan said the government will launch a special campaign to bring women who are not yet part of SHGs into these groups. He said that while non-performing assets (NPAs) of “big people” are high, the NPA rate among SHG women is only 1.7 per cent, showing their strong record in repaying loans.
He noted that in the last 12 years, SHG women have received loans worth Rs 12 lakh crore. The new target is to lend Rs 10 lakh crore over the next five years, which means Rs 2 lakh crore per year.
Responding to demands from SHG women for individual loans, he said the government has set a target to disburse Rs 1.50 lakh crore in loans to help members become entrepreneurs. He also said the government aims to cover 90 per cent of SHG members under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana. This will ensure families are secured with loans, insurance and pension benefits.
Chouhan condemned the previous BRS government in Telangana, alleging that it did not fully utilise the benefits of the PM Awas Yojana and returned funds in 2023 when it left office. "I am telling you the facts. Poor brothers and sisters in rural areas in Telangana were deprived of the benefit of PM Awas Yojana. I am happy that the CM and rural development minister here wrote a letter that they want to join the PM Awas Yojana. We are happy to take them on board," he said.
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