Bhubaneswar: Odisha has achieved a major milestone in promoting economic empowerment of women with the creation of 16,36,991 ‘Lakhpati Didis’ in 2024–25 fiscal, the state Assembly was informed on Saturday.
Sharing this information while answering a question in the House, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said it was a major milestone under the Mission Shakti initiative aimed at empowering women through self-help groups (SHGs).
She said Ganjam district topped the list with 1,20,400 Lakhpati Didis — the highest in the state.
Notably, a ‘Lakhpati Didi’ refers to an SHG woman member whose annual income exceeds Rs one lakh or monthly income crosses Rs 10,000. These women are engaged in diverse livelihood sectors, supported through financial and capacity-building schemes under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
In order to qualify, a woman must be a member of an SHG, involved in one or more income-generating activities; a recipient of financial aid under DAY-NRLM; and earning an annual income of at least Rs 60,000.
To boost income-generation potential, a Business Development Plan (BDP) has been prepared, focusing on individual interest areas, local agro-ecological conditions, and the state’s One District One Product (ODOP) policy. Various livelihood models have also been developed in local languages to help women operate effectively at the grassroots level.
In a move to further support SHGs the Revolving Fund has been increased from Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 per group. Similarly, the Community Investment Fund (CIF) has been raised from Rs 35 lakh to Rs 60 lakh at the Gram Panchayat level.
Additionally, SHG members are being offered interest-free bank loans up to Rs 10 lakh to scale up their businesses. Priority is being given to Lakhpati and Potential Lakhpati Didis. Discussions are ongoing with banks to facilitate personal loans under schemes like MUDRA Yojana.
Women entrepreneurs are also being supported through enhanced market access. Their products are showcased and sold via the Subhadra Shakti Market and Retail Mart, among other platforms managed by the Mission Shakti Department.
Altogether 40,865 Community Resource Persons (CRPs) have been trained to support these initiatives and collect quarterly income data using the Digital Aajeevika Register on the LoKOS MIS Portal.
