ITANAGAR, 19 Jun: The progress of the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ initiative was reviewed during a State Level Steering Committee meeting chaired by Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Secretary Dr Sonal Swaroop at the ArSRLM State Mission Management Unit’s conference hall here on Friday.
The meeting was attended by representatives from various line departments and key stakeholders, including the agriculture deputy director, skill development deputy director, horticulture director, Arunachal Pradesh Agriculture Marketing Board (APAMB) chief executive officer, the ArSRLM chief operating officer, and the ICR district veterinary officer.
Lakhpati Didi is a flagship initiative of the Government of India and the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, aimed at enabling women associated with self-help groups (SHGs) under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission to achieve a sustainable annual household income of Rs 1 lakh or more. The initiative focuses on promoting diversified livelihood opportunities, entrepreneurship development, skill enhancement, financial inclusion, and convergence with various government schemes and programmes to improve the socioeconomic well-being of rural households.
Addressing the participants, Swaroop emphasised the need to ensure that identified potential lakhpati didis across the state are accorded priority under all relevant state and centrally sponsored schemes. She stressed the importance of strengthening inter-departmental convergence to maximise livelihood opportunities and income enhancement for SHG members.
Representatives from the line departments presented details of various schemes and interventions being implemented by their respective departments that could benefit the identified potential lakhpati didis. The chair directed all departments to submit reports on the benefits extended to SHG members under various Atmanirbhar schemes during the last two financial years. The reports will help assess the contribution of these schemes towards achieving the objectives of the Lakhpati Didi initiative.
The committee also deliberated on the need to assess the skill requirements of identified potential lakhpati didis to facilitate targeted capacity-building interventions. Departments were requested to compile and share relevant data during the upcoming district-level steering committee meetings, which will be chaired by the respective deputy commissioners.
During the meeting, the APAMB chief executive officer highlighted several market linkage initiatives being implemented by the board, including Mission Arun Himveer. He informed the committee about the opportunities available under the initiative, and requested the ArSRLM to facilitate engagement of potential lakhpati didis in the programme to strengthen market access and income generation opportunities for SHG members.
The meeting concluded with a collective commitment from all departments to work in close coordination towards achieving the goals of the Lakhpati Didi initiative and accelerating the socioeconomic empowerment of rural women across Arunachal Pradesh.
