New Delhi, February 18 Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday directed officials to work on an "urgent" basis to achieve a revised target of creating six crore "Lakhpati Didis" under the rural livelihoods mission.
He also instructed them to prepare a time-bound plan to link 10 crore women with financial inclusion initiatives.
Chairing a review meeting of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission ((DAY-NRLM) here, Chouhan expressed satisfaction over the mission's progress but stressed that a focused strategy is required to meet the expanded goals.
He said achieving the target would require expanding bank linkages, credit access, insurance coverage, and financial literacy among women. He maintained that financial inclusion is key to strengthening livelihoods and promoting economic independence among members of self-help groups (SHGs).
"Achieving the ambitious goal of 6 crore 'Lakhpati Didis' would require connecting at least 10 crore women to the various financial inclusion initiatives of the Ministry of Rural Development," the Minister said, directing officials to work in close coordination with state governments to ensure the successful attainment of these targets.
Chouhan further instructed officials to ensure optimal utilization of funds. He said that states where performance or spending remains below expectations must be provided with necessary guidance, handholding, and encouragement to meet objectives within the stipulated timeframe.
According to ministry data, the mission has so far facilitated about Rs 1.5 lakh crore in bank-linked financial assistance. It has also connected nearly five crore people with financial literacy initiatives and extended insurance coverage to around seven crore beneficiaries.
The minister added that the programme's success would be measured by its ability to ensure lasting economic empowerment and improved quality of life for rural women, rather than by numerical data alone.