"The Lakhpati Didi Initiatives is transforming the entire village economy", Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned the building of 2 crore Lakhpati Didis–women who earn ₹1 lakh per annum through self-employment.
To support this national vision, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has initiated a number of initiatives in Gujarat that envision women-led development. In tune with such a strategy, the South Dang Forest Division successfully implemented the Lakhpati Didi Yojana, empowering the tribal women through sustainable livelihoods and self-employment by nursery cultivation, the Chief Minister's office announced in a press release.
With its core focus on empowering women to earn ₹1 lakh in a year, the scheme provides training, funding, and direct involvement in nurturing saplings.
Self Help Groups raised over 8,50,000 saplings in the financial year 2023-24. Many women benefited by this initiative, with cumulative disbursals of ₹35 lakh across different forest ranges.
Under this programme, women from SHGs are entrusted with responsibility for nursery rearing and plantation. Compensation for their work is remitted directly into their accounts by the forest department, ensuring transparency and self-reliance.
Additionally, awareness camps were conducted to educate women where they got hands-on training in key nursery practices like sowing of seeds, pruning, use of fertilisers, and water management. Additionally, the women also learned about banking, accounting, and planning finance.
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Maybe the most dramatic impact of the Lakhpati Didi Yojana is the self-confidence that it has provided to its participants. These women are no longer homemakers–they are entrepreneurs, decision-makers, and community leaders.
It has been learnt that their participation in village development is increasing, indicating that economic empowerment is going hand in hand with social advancement. The scheme has provided a platform for women to rise, voice their opinions, and take control–not only over their work, but their lives.
Environmentally, the project has also had a substantial contribution. The project has not only covered the South Dang area with greeneries but also has helped in more general environmental conservation efforts. This green restoration is likely to bring long-term advantages to biodiversity and climatic resilience in the local area.
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