Stepping up its efforts further towards making of 3 Crore Lakhpati Didis in line with the Prime Minister’s vision, The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), under the Ministry of Rural Development organized today a National Stakeholders Consultative Workshop on Integrating Women Self-Help Groups into Service Sector Enterprises: Making of Lakhpati Didis.

Inaugurating the workshop, Shri. Charanjit Singh, Additional Secretary, Rural Livelihoods remarked that organizing a workshop on such important topic today makes it a historical day. The mission is striving for Lakhpati Didis, as envisioned by  the Prime Minister and  making its forays into strengthening the Lakhpati Initiative while exploring and integrating possibilities of the service sector enterprises. Shri Singh highlighted the fact that the services sector today contributes to about 50% of the GDP, 31 % of the jobs and hence it is of utmost importance to discuss it with an open mind that what kind of sub-scheme can be launched for wider engagement of the SHG community for their economic upliftment and enabling them to become Lakhpati Didis.

Setting the context, Ms. Swati Sharma, Joint Secretary, Rural Livelihoods said that after the announcement of making of Lakhpati Didis by the Prime Minister on 15^th August 2023 and further with the interaction of the Prime Minister with the Lakhpati Didis on March 11^th 2024, the National Rural Livelihoods Mission and its State Rural Livelihoods Missions are inspired to make it a reality. She added that time has come to focus on Demand based economic activities and towards this DAY-NRLM along with its various stakeholders will guide, train and handhold SHG Didi’s to realize the goal of creating successful Service Sector Enterprises.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Smriti Sharan, Joint Secretary Rural Livedlihoods underlined that Convergence is the key to realize the Prime Minister’s ambitious dream of Lakhpati Didis and the Ministry with its partners will leverage every possible opportunity to help economic transformation of the SHG Didi’s as Lakhpati Didi’s.

The workshop was organized with the objective of understanding the current landscape- opportunities, potential and challenges faced by women SHGs in the service sector, to identify best practices and successful models of integrating women SHGs into service enterprises and to develop a roadmap for way forward and strategies for successful integration of SHG women to service sector of the economy working in collaboration with the various stakeholders. The participants included representatives from eleven ministries, ten State Rural Livelihoods Missions and other Stakeholders, Sector Skill Council, National Resource Organizations and Technical Support Agencies. The workshop saw open discussion on various ideas and thoughts with the active engagement of the participants.

Ms. Rajeshwari SM, Director Rural Livelihoods welcomed the participants and outlined the agenda. In concluding remarks, Mr. R S Rekhi, Consultant, Rural Livelihoods highlighted the key take-aways of the consultative workshop and the way forward on building on the insights emerged from the Consultative workshop.

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SK/SS