The Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, is undertaking a major campaign for comprehensive rural development under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan acknowledged the cooperation of state governments in helping over two crore women become "Lakhpati Didis" (earning at least ₹1 lakh annually) and announced a two-day national Chintan Shivir in Udaipur, Rajasthan, on September 4-5, 2025, to further accelerate this progress.
The Chintan Shivir will focus on creating a poverty-free rural India and building prosperous and resilient rural communities. Participants will include rural development ministers and senior officials from states, Union Territories, and central ministries, along with domain experts, organizations from the central region, community representatives, field workers, and beneficiaries. Discussions will aim to identify gaps in schemes, improve implementation, increase employment opportunities, and develop a five-year roadmap for rural development.
Shri Chouhan highlighted the successful implementation of various schemes, including progress towards the Prime Minister's target of creating three crore Lakhpati Didis, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, MGNREGA, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, and skill development initiatives. The announcement was made during a video conference with state rural development ministers, which was also attended by Union Minister of State for Rural Development Dr. Chandrashekhar Pemmasani and Secretary Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh. This information was released by PIB Delhi on August 21, 2025, with Release ID: 2159428.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Rural Development: The Indian government ministry responsible for rural development programs.
Udaipur, Rajasthan: The city in Rajasthan, India, where the national Chintan Shivir on rural development will be held.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Rural Development
Narendra Modi: Prime Minister of India, whose leadership is guiding the rural development campaign.
Lakhpati Didis: A scheme aimed at empowering women by enabling them to earn at least 1 lakh annually; a target of 3 crore women achieving this milestone.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: A flagship scheme focused on providing homes for the poor.
MGNREGA: Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, a flagship scheme to enhance livelihood security of households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana: A flagship scheme for providing all-weather road connectivity to unconnected habitations in rural areas.
Ministry of Rural Development
“The national Chintan Shivir on rural development to
be held in Udaipur on September 4–5”: Union
Minister Shri Shivraj Singh
“There will be deliberations with focus on poverty-
free rural India and building prosperous
communities”: Shri Shivraj Singh
“A major campaign for rural development is
underway under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi”: Shri Chouhan
Shri Shivraj Singh thanks states for their cooperation
as over 2 crore women have become ‘Lakhpati
Didis’, and the target of 3 crore is near completion
Posted On: 21 AUG 2025 7:32PM by PIB Delhi
Under the guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, a massive campaign for comprehensive rural
development is being carried out by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. In this regard,
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare & Rural Development Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan,
thanked all state governments for their cooperation and acknowledged that more than two crore women have
already become ‘Lakhpati Didis’ (earning at least ₹1 lakh annually). He also announced that to accelerate this
progress further, a two-day national Chintan Shivir on rural development will be organised in Udaipur
(Rajasthan) on September 4 and 5, 2025.Chairing a meeting today with state rural development ministers via video conferencing from Delhi, Shri
Chouhan shared detailed information about the upcoming Chintan Shivir, and said that rural development
ministers from all states, senior officials from states, Union Territories, and Central ministries will participate,
along with domain experts, organisations from the central region, community representatives, field workers,
and beneficiaries. The Shivir will focus on ways to move forward in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of
creating a poverty-free rural India and building prosperous and resilient rural communities.
Recalling the Prime Minister’s Independence Day message that “a Government should be visible not in files
but in people’s lives”, Shri Chouhan emphasised that it is important to reflect on the gaps in schemes, identify
areas for improvement, and strengthen implementation. He said that discussions will also cover ways to
increase employment opportunities and chart out a roadmap for rural development for the next five years —
all of which will form part of the deliberations in Udaipur.
The Union Minister further highlighted the successful implementation of several schemes by the Ministry of
Rural Development, including rapid progress towards the Prime Minister’s target of creating three crore
‘Lakhpati Didis’. “We are close to achieving the goal, with over two crore women already crossing the
milestone,” he said. Shri Chouhan also noted significant progress under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in
providing homes for the poor, as well as in other flagship schemes such as MGNREGA, Pradhan Mantri
Gram Sadak Yojana, and skill development initiatives.
The video conference was also attended by Union Minister of State for Rural Development Dr.
Chandrashekhar Pemmasani and Secretary Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh.
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RC/KSR/AR
(Release ID: 2159428)