Shivraj Singh Chouhan to Chair High-Level Meeting on Rural Livelihoods in Mumbai

New Delhi-  Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan will chair a high-level meeting with banks and State Rural Livelihoods Missions (SRLMs) in Mumbai on September 3 to review progress in Self Help Group (SHG) bank linkages and financing for individual rural enterprises.

The meeting is being organised under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), the government’s flagship programme aimed at strengthening community institutions and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities in rural areas.

Over the past 15 years, DAY-NRLM has brought more than 10 crore rural women into over 93 lakh Self Help Groups and their federations. Banks have played a major role in this effort, with cumulative credit disbursement to SHGs crossing ₹13.67 lakh crore.

The availability of institutional credit has helped millions of SHG members establish and expand livelihood-based businesses. According to the Ministry of Rural Development, 3.46 crore women have emerged as Lakhpati Didis.

With several women-led enterprises now entering a growth phase, the government is focusing on improving access to finance and helping these businesses transition into sustainable rural enterprises.

Ahead of the meeting, Chouhan will also interact with SHG Didis, including several Lakhpati Didis who are running established rural businesses.

Senior representatives from the Reserve Bank of India, Department of Financial Services, public and private sector banks, Regional Rural Banks, cooperative banks, NABARD, PFRDA, Central Ministries and State Rural Livelihoods Missions will participate in the discussions.

Bank executives and SRLM representatives will review the progress made so far and discuss measures to strengthen credit access for rural women.

The discussions will include proposals to double the individual enterprise credit portfolio, increase the average loan amount disbursed to SHGs and reduce the time taken for loan approval and disbursement.

The meeting will also examine ways to achieve wider credit linkage among remaining SHGs, particularly those located in difficult-to-reach areas, while strengthening cooperative credit institutions such as District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) and Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS).

The deliberations are expected to contribute to the government’s Financial Inclusion 2.0 vision, with a focus on timely and adequate credit for SHGs, dedicated financing for women-led enterprises and greater access to advanced financial services in rural India.