Government Initiatives Accelerate Women’s Financial Independence Across India

New Delhi, March 6: The Government of India has launched a range of initiatives in recent years to strengthen women’s financial independence and promote entrepreneurship across the country. These programmes aim to improve access to credit, skills, technology, and markets, especially for women in rural and underserved areas.

One of the key initiatives is the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, launched in 2015 to encourage families to save for the education and future needs of the girl child. The scheme offers an annual interest rate of 8.2% along with tax benefits, and deposits under it have crossed ₹3.33 lakh crore as of December 2025.

In rural areas, the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) has mobilised more than 10 crore women into over 90 lakh Self-Help Groups, providing them access to credit, training, and livelihood opportunities. The programme has helped women start small businesses and improve household incomes.

Technology-driven initiatives like the NaMo Drone Didi scheme are also creating new opportunities by training women from Self-Help Groups to operate drones for agricultural services, helping them earn additional income while improving farm productivity.

To promote entrepreneurship, the government is working toward creating six crore “Lakhpati Didis”—women whose households earn more than ₹1 lakh annually through sustainable livelihood activities.

Women entrepreneurs are also benefiting from initiatives such as Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, PM SVANidhi, and the Stand-Up India scheme, which provide banking access, collateral-free loans, and financial support for starting or expanding businesses.

Through these programmes, millions of women are gaining greater financial control and emerging as important contributors to India’s economic growth as the country moves toward its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.