Read or download the official PDF of this gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Rural Development on 11th August 2026. Classified under Press Release.
Executive Summary
The Ministry of Rural Development is implementing the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) to empower rural women by organizing them into Self-Help Groups (SHGs). As of August 2026, the mission has mobilized 10.08 crore women into 92.30 lakh SHGs across 28 States and 6 UTs to improve income and quality of life. Independent evaluations by NITI Aayog and 3ie (2025) confirm significant progress in financial inclusion, household income growth, and women's self-confidence.
Key Points / Main Content
Mission Objectives and Core Components
Goal: To organize rural households into SHGs and support them until they achieve a sustainable increase in income.
Core Pillars: The mission focuses on four areas: social mobilization and institutional strengthening, financial inclusion, sustainable livelihoods, and social development.
Coverage: Implementation extends across India, excluding Delhi and Chandigarh.
Financial and Training Support
Credit Access: Women SHGs receive collateral-free loans from Scheduled Commercial and Cooperative Banks following RBI and NABARD guidelines.
Skill Development: Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) provide entrepreneurship training and post-training handholding to empower rural youth and SHG members.
Community Capacity: Community Managed Training Centres (CMTCs) serve as hubs for peer learning and knowledge exchange.
Impact and Evaluation Findings (2025 Studies)
Income Growth: Household incomes increased by 9.5% generally, with mature community clusters seeing gains between 12% and 33%; NITI Aayog reported an average household income increase of 49%.
Empowerment Metrics: 58% of women reported enhanced confidence, 52% saw improved access to income opportunities, and 46% became capable of independent banking.
Livelihood Diversification: Women-led enterprises have expanded into tailoring, goat rearing, and agri-trading.
The Lakhpati Didi Initiative
Objective: To enable SHG members to achieve a minimum annual income of Rs. 1 lakh.
Current Reach: The initiative has successfully reached 3.46 crore "Lakhpati Didis" across the country.
Identified Challenges
Social & Literacy Barriers: Gender inequality and low literacy levels hinder full participation.
Operational & Environmental Risks: Limited technology access, inadequate marketing facilities, and vulnerability to climate change or economic downturns persist as key obstacles.
Impact Analysis
Rural Women and SHG MembersImpact
They experience significant socio-economic upliftment, including a nearly 50% average increase in household income and improved financial independence. Participation leads to diversified livelihood opportunities and greater self-confidence.
Action Required
Engage in social mobilization, participate in RSETI/CMTC training programs, and utilize collateral-free institutional credit to establish or scale enterprises.
Scheduled Commercial and Cooperative BanksImpact
Banks are primary facilitators of the mission’s financial inclusion pillar, providing the necessary liquidity for SHG operations without requiring collateral.
Action Required
Adhere to RBI and NABARD guidelines to provide credit linkages and support the banking independence of rural women.
Ministry of Rural Development and Government AgenciesImpact
The Ministry is responsible for the multipronged strategy that has successfully mobilized over 10 crore women and established nearly 92.30 lakh SHGs.
Action Required
Continue monitoring the program through impact evaluation studies and expand marketing facilities and technology access to address remaining challenges.
Key Entities Referenced
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM): The primary flagship scheme aimed at organizing rural households into Self Help Groups (SHGs) to improve their quality of life and income through financial inclusion and sustainable livelihoods.
Lakhpati Didi Initiative: A program under the DAY-NRLM scheme focused on enabling women SHG members to achieve a sustainable annual income of Rs. 1 lakh or more.
Ministry of Rural Development: The central government ministry responsible for implementing, nurturing, and supporting the multipronged strategy for the empowerment of rural women through various schemes.
Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs): Institutes that provide skill development and entrepreneurship training to rural youth and SHG members to facilitate self-employment and bank credit linkages.
National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD): A key regulatory body that provides guidelines for facilitating collateral-free institutional credit to women SHGs through commercial and cooperative banks.
Ministry of Rural Development
RURAL SCHEMES IMPLEMENTED FOR SHGS
प्रव तथ: 11 AUG 2026 5:53PM by PIB Delhi
The Ministry of Rural Development is implementing DeendayalAntyodayaYojana -National Rural
Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) with the objective of organizing the rural households into Self Help
Groups (SHGs) and continuously nurturing and supporting them till they attain appreciable increase in
income over a period of time and improve their quality of life. Cumulatively, 10.08 crore women have
been mobilized into 92.30 lakh SHGs. The mission seeks to achieve its objective through investing in four
core components, viz., (1) social mobilization, promotion and strengthening of self-managed and
financially sustainable community institutions of the rural poor; (2) financial inclusion of the rural poor;
(3) sustainable livelihoods; and (4) social inclusion & social development. The Mission is implemented
across the country in 28 States and 6 UTs (except Delhi & Chandigarh).
The Ministry facilitates access to institutional credit for women SHGs under DAY-NRLM. Under the
programme, women SHGs avail collateral-free loans from Scheduled Commercial Banks and Cooperative
Banks in accordance with guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India and National Bank for Agriculture &
Rural Development (NABARD). For Training of these SHGs, Rural Self Employment Training Institutes
(RSETIs) provide skill development and entrepreneurship training to rural youth including these SHGs
with a strong focus on empowering women. These institute promote self-employment by supporting
livelihood and enterprise development, facilitating bank credit linkages, and providing comprehensive
post-training handholding.
Further, Community Managed Training Centres (CMTCs) are promoted under the DAY-NRLM which are
community-owned and community-managed institutions that serve as hubs for capacity building, peer
learning, and knowledge exchange.
The total number of women SHGs under DAY-NRLM set up in the country, state-wise is given at
Annexure-I.
Self-Help Groups (SHGs) face several key challenges, including social barriers such as gender inequality,
migration, and low literacy further hinder participation and inclusion. Additionally, expansion of
marketing facilities, limited access to technology, and vulnerability to natural disasters, health
emergencies, climate change, and economic downturns also exist.
Under DAY-NRLM, the Ministry of Rural Development has adopted a multipronged strategy for the
social, economic, and institutional empowerment of rural women. The positive outcomes of these
interventions have been validated through independent impact evaluation studies commissioned by the
Ministry. The 3ie Impact Evaluation Study (2025), based on two rounds of data collection conducted in2019 and 2024 across 9 States, covering about 23,000 households, found that household incomes
increased by 9.5% in NRLM blocks, while income gains in mature community institution clusters ranged
from 12% to 33%. The study also reported an increase of 6–11% in per capita household consumption,
along with improvements in women’s empowerment, livelihood diversification, and overall household
welfare.
Also, NITI Aayog’s Evaluation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes in the Rural Development Sector (2025)
assessed DAY-NRLM as a highly relevant and impactful programme, noting its contribution to increased
incomes, diversified livelihood opportunities, enhanced financial inclusion and literacy, greater self-
confidence among women, and improved social inclusion through strong community institutions and
convergence with other development initiatives. These findings underscore the significant role of DAY-
NRLM in advancing women’s empowerment and improving the socio-economic well-being of rural
households. It has demonstrated significant positive outcomes, with average household incomes increasing
by 49%. It has also contributed to women's economic and social empowerment, as 58% of women
reported enhanced confidence, 52% experienced improved access to income-generating opportunities, and
46% became capable of managing their banking transactions independently. In addition, women-led
enterprises have diversified into a range of livelihood activities, including tailoring, goat rearing, and agri-
trading, thereby strengthening income sources and promoting sustainable rural livelihoods.
Further, the LakhpatiDidi Initiative is a program under the DAY-NRLM scheme aimed at enhancing the
income of women Self-Help Group (SHG) members, with the goal of making them "LakhpatiDidi." It
focuses on helping SHG members achieve an annual income of Rs. 1 lakh or more. The total count of
LakhpatiDidis across the country has reached 3.46 crore, which shows the impact of DAY-NRLM scheme
on the income of women members of SHGs.
ANNEXURE-I
Detail of Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) set up in the country, state wise:
S.No State/UTs SHGs set up in the Country
(state-wise)
1 Andaman And Nicobar Islands 1,343
2 Andhra Pradesh 8,27,133
3 Arunachal Pradesh 12,853
4 Assam 3,56,760
5 Bihar 13,53,025
6 Chhattisgarh 2,91,453
7 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 1,8238 Goa 3,462
9 Gujarat 2,32,911
10 Haryana 62,921
11 Himachal Pradesh 43,344
12 Jammu And Kashmir 96,637
13 Jharkhand 3,20,838
14 Karnataka 2,97,982
15 Kerala 2,38,981
16 Ladakh 2,119
17 Lakshadweep 348
18 Madhya Pradesh 4,68,501
19 Maharashtra 6,67,562
20 Manipur 13,689
21 Meghalaya 47,946
22 Mizoram 10,083
23 Nagaland 15,333
24 Odisha 5,51,414
25 Puducherry 4,927
26 Punjab 57,337
27 Rajasthan 3,36,928
28 Sikkim 5,895
29 Tamil Nadu 3,48,97730 Telangana 3,93,845
31 Tripura 54,860
32 Uttar Pradesh 8,71,820
33 Uttarakhand 69,811
34 West Bengal 11,67,882
Total 92,30,743
This information was given by the Minister of State for Rural Development DR. CHANDRA SEKHAR
PEMMASANI in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
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