After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s said that the government will focus on creating 2 crore lakhpati didis in the villages, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh chaired the National Conclave today to review the mission’s strategy. The mission, if successful will change the socio economic landscape of rural India.

The Mission in its endeavour to empower the self help group (SHG) women, have made concerted efforts in collectivization of women, strengthening their federations, capacitating them with knowledge and skills for livelihood intervention, financing and credit support for the livelihood augmentation of the SHG women.

The Mission has already covered more than 7000 blocks spread over 742 districts across all states and Union Territories (except Delhi and Chandigarh) under the intensive strategy. As many as 9.54 crore women have been mobilized into 87.39 lakh SHGs.

Celebrating India’s Independence Day, Modi from the ramparts of the Red Fort said, “Today 10 crore Rural Women are part of the Self-Help Groups. When you go to a village, you will find ‘bank-wali didi’, ‘Anganwadi didi’ and ‘dawai-wali (medicine) didi’.  It is my dream to make two crore lakhpati didis in the villages.”

The Prime Minister also pointed out that the cooperative movement has become a major part of the society’s economy. The newly created Cooperative Ministry is spreading its network through cooperative institutions so that the poorest of the poor are heard and their needs are met.

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