Union Minister for Rural Development, and Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan today addressed nearly 400 ‘Jeevika Didis’ who had come from across the country to participate in the Republic Day programme, at a special event called ‘Smariddh Didi se Smariddh Rastra: Republic Day Felicitation Event 2026’ organised at Pusa in New Delhi. On this occasion, Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications, Dr. Chandrashekhar Pemmasani, was also present.

In his address on this occasion, while felicitating the ‘Jeevika Didis’, Shri Chouhan said that “Didis are living and awakened goddesses, and when they make a resolve, they perform miracles”. He said that these Didis have proven that they are not helpless, but truly empowered in the real sense.  Addressing the ‘Jeevika Didis’ further, he said that they are “Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, who can perform the greatest miracles”, and “since you have come here, this place has truly become like a maternal home”. The presence of sisters fills the brothers’ courtyard with joy.

Shri Chouhan thanked Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and said that he has taken care of sisters, daughters, and Didis of India. The Prime Minister has recognised the strength of women, and the ‘Ajeevika Mission’ (Livelihood Mission) has worked miracles.

Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh further said that today, 10 crore sisters are connected with Self-Help Groups. The Prime Minister has given us the target of making 3 crore Didis ‘Lakhpati Didis’. And I proudly say that this target is a mantra for us, and we will achieve it very soon. He said that the ‘Ajeevika Mission’ has now become not just a scheme, but a revolution and movement. It has not only made us economically empowered, but has also broken all those shackles that held women back.

In his address, he further added that today Didis are self-reliant and filled with self-confidence. If any Didi wants to take a loan personally, we will also make that path easy, so that the economic strength of Didis can become even stronger. Under this, to promote women entrepreneurship, the Ministry of Rural Development has created an end-to-end online loan system, through which women of self-help groups will be able to get loans on time and in an easy manner. Now, Self-Help Group members will be able to apply online for loans in any bank, and banks will approve and disburse the loans digitally. This initiative will prove to be a milestone in obtaining loan facilities for women entrepreneurs and will advance the broader goal of a digitally empowered India.

He said that Saras fairs are currently held in limited numbers, but their utility is very great. Therefore, now work will not be limited to Delhi alone; “we will organise Saras fairs in other parts of the country as well, so that Didis get the right and large market to sell their products”.

Minister of State Shri Chandrashekhar Pemmasani, present at the programme, said in his address that the entrepreneurship of women was clearly visible in the recently held Saras fair in Guntur in Andhra Pradesh. Here, prosperity is linked only to GDP, but the real strength of the country is determined by its women. Women’s contribution to India’s GDP is 18 percent; similarly, 10 percent of startups are run by women, and women have an active role in the country’s development.

Key Points of Marketing Strategy under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM)

• A structured, scalable, and sustainable market ecosystem will be built for self-help group products.
• A range of high-quality, value-added, premium, and export-oriented products will be developed to strengthen the Saras brand.
• Building and strengthening state-level aggregators will be a priority.
• Special focus will be given to capacity building of self-help group entrepreneurs, CLFs, and CRP-EP cadres.
• Systematic onboarding of self-help group products will be done on GeM portal, ONDC, eSARAS, and major private e-commerce platforms.
• Fulfillment and logistics infrastructure will be strengthened to support e-commerce sales.
• 5 Saras fairs will be organised at the national level.
• State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) will increase the number of Saras fairs at the state level.
• At the cluster level, especially in agro-clusters, SHE-Marts will be established to provide regular markets.
• 50 buyer-seller meets will be organised during the year to promote domestic marketing and exports.
• These initiatives will lead to better integration of Self-Help Group enterprises into mainstream value chains.
• Sustained income growth for Self-Help Group women will be ensured.

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RC/MS