Read or download the official PDF of this gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Rural Development on 22nd August 2026. Classified under Press Release.
Executive Summary
The Empowered Committee of the Ministry of Rural Development met on August 22, 2026, to review proposals under the Non-Farm Livelihoods (NFL) component of DAY-NRLM. The meeting focused on scaling women-led rural enterprises to support the national goal of creating 6 crore "Lakhpati Didis." Key actions include the approval of four new incubator partnerships with premier institutions and the expansion of entrepreneurship programs in specific states.
Key Points / Main Content
Expansion of Rural Incubator Programs
Approved four new incubator proposals for Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat.
Partnered with premier academic institutions: IIT Patna, IIM Jammu, IIM Lucknow, and IIT Gandhinagar.
The programs aim to support 600+ high-potential rural enterprises through mentoring, financial planning, and technology adoption.
Builds on existing momentum, with 14 incubator programmes currently operational across 13 states supporting approximately 2,100 enterprises.
Target Sectors and Selection Mechanisms
Focus sectors include food and agri-processing, textiles, handicrafts, manufacturing, retail, tourism-linked activities, and digital enterprises.
Introduction of a transparent, merit-based "Challenge Fund" for selecting enterprises with high growth potential.
Establishment of dedicated State Incubation Cells to institutionalize support within State Rural Livelihoods Missions (SRLMs).
Programmatic Growth and Monitoring
Approved the expansion of the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) in West Bengal and Goa.
The initiatives aim to transition Self-Help Group (SHG) enterprises from subsistence-level to higher-order businesses with improved market linkages and employment potential.
Emphasis placed on innovation, digital adoption, and outcome-based monitoring to ensure a robust national incubation ecosystem.
Impact Analysis
Rural Women Entrepreneurs (SHG Members)Impact:
They gain a pathway to graduate from subsistence-level activities to growth-oriented businesses with higher turnover and improved access to finance and markets.
Action Required:
Eligible entrepreneurs must participate in the merit-based selection process via the Challenge Fund and engage with incubation mentoring.
State Rural Livelihoods Missions (SRLMs)Impact:
SRLMs will see an institutionalization of enterprise support through new State Incubation Cells and expanded SVEP implementation.
Action Required:
State Mission Directors and CEOs must coordinate with academic partners to implement structured interventions in business strategy and formalization.
Academic and Business Institutions (IITs/IIMs)Impact:
Selected institutions (IIT Patna, IIM Jammu, IIM Lucknow, and IIT Gandhinagar) are designated as key incubator partners to drive rural economic development.
Action Required:
These institutions must provide technical expertise, mentoring, and support in technology adoption for the 600+ selected rural enterprises.
Key Entities Referenced
DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission): The primary national mission providing the framework and funding for scaling up women-led rural enterprises through its Non-Farm Livelihoods component.
Lakhpati Didi initiative: A national goal aimed at enabling rural women to achieve an annual household income of at least one lakh rupees through entrepreneurship-led livelihood opportunities.
Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP): A specialized sub-scheme of DAY-NRLM focused on strengthening the rural non-farm ecosystem and helping SHG members establish sustainable businesses.
Incubator Sub-Scheme: A programme that partners with premier academic and business institutions like IITs and IIMs to provide structured mentoring and technical support to rural enterprises.
Ministry of Rural Development: The central ministry responsible for overseeing rural livelihood policies and the Empowered Committee that reviews growth proposals for rural enterprises.
Ministry of Rural Development
Empowered Committee Reviews Proposals to
Accelerate Growth of Women-led Rural
Enterprises
प्रव तथ: 22 AUG 2026 9:53AM by PIB Delhi
The Empowered Committee of the Ministry of Rural Development, chaired by the Secretary (Rural
Development), Shri Rohit Kansal, today considered proposals under the Non-Farm Livelihoods (NFL)
component of DAY-NRLM to strengthen and scale up women-led rural enterprises and create a pathway
for small-scale SHG enterprises to graduate into higher-order, growth-oriented businesses.
Shri Amit Shukla, Joint Secretary (Rural Livelihoods), and Ms. Swati Sharma, Joint Secretary (Rural
Livelihoods), were also present at the meeting. The discussions focused on accelerating entrepreneurship-
led livelihood opportunities for rural women and contributing to the national goal of making 6 crore
Lakhpati Didis.The Committee considered four new Incubator proposals from Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar
Pradesh and Gujarat, with IIT Patna, IIM Jammu, IIM Lucknow and IIT Gandhinagar,
respectively, as the proposed incubator partners. The proposals were presented by the Principal
Secretaries/Secretaries of the respective States, along with the State Mission Directors/CEOs of the
SRLMs and representatives of the proposed incubator institutions. Together, the four programmes are
proposed to support 600+ high-potential rural enterprises through structured interventions in business
strategy, mentoring, financial planning, formalisation, technology adoption, market access and access to
finance.
The Incubator Sub-Scheme builds on the experience of four completed incubator programmes in
Assam, Bihar, West Bengal and Karnataka, which supported over 600 SHG enterprises. The
programme has since expanded significantly, with 14 incubator programmes currently operationalacross 13 States, supporting around 2,100 rural SHG enterprises through partnerships with premier
business and academic institutions including IIMs, IITs and leading incubation institutions. The earlier
programmes demonstrated tangible outcomes, including revenue growth, improved business formalisation
and additional employment generation.
The new incubators will focus on sectors such as food and agri-processing, textiles and handicrafts,
manufacturing, retail and services, tourism-linked activities, digital enterprises and other locally
relevant growth sectors. A key feature is a transparent, merit-based Challenge Fund for selection of
enterprises with strong growth potential, along with dedicated State Incubation Cells to institutionalise
enterprise support within the State Rural Livelihoods Missions.
The Committee also considered proposals for expansion of the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship
Programme (SVEP) in West Bengal and Goa, aimed at further strengthening the rural non-farm
entrepreneurship ecosystem and enabling more SHG members to establish and grow sustainable
enterprises.
These initiatives reinforce the Government’s commitment to women-led economic development and the
Lakhpati Didi initiative, by enabling rural women entrepreneurs to progress from subsistence-level
businesses to enterprises with higher turnover, stronger market linkages, improved access to finance and
greater employment potential.
The Empowered Committee emphasised innovation, institutional partnerships, convergence, digital
adoption, market access and outcome-based monitoring, with the objective of creating a robust
national ecosystem for incubation and sustained growth of women-led rural enterprises under DAY-
NRLM.
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RC/PU
(रलीज़ आईडी: 2302239) आगंतुक पटल : 958
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