STRENGTHENING RURAL LIVELIHOODS THROUGH SELF-HELP GROUPS

The Ministry of Rural Development is implementing the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY‑NRLM) across India (excluding Delhi and Chandigarh) to organise rural households into Self‑Help Groups (SHGs). Between FY 2023‑24 and 2025‑26, 1,06,33,882 households were covered, 7,58,243 SHGs and 1,07,677 Village Organisations were formed, and 9,324 Cluster‑level Federations were created. Capitalisation support of Rs 33,335.92 crore and bank credit of Rs 6,38,339.43 crore were disbursed, with an NPA of 1.85 %. The mission has mobilised 10.08 crore women into 92 lakh SHGs, of which 57.60 lakh were credit‑linked in 2025‑26. Market‑access measures include registration of ‘Saras’, ‘Saras Aajeevika’ and ‘Aajeevika’ brands, organisation of Saras Melas, operation of a Saras Aajeevika Gallery in Delhi, and the e‑commerce platform eSaras linked with GeM, ONDC, Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho and JioMart.