18 February 2026·PIB

Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan issues instructions on war footing to achieve target of 6 crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’

In this note

1. At a Glance

Lakhpati Didi = a Self-Help Group (SHG) woman member whose household earns ≥ ₹1 lakh/annum (avg ≥ ₹10,000/month) sustained over at least 4 agricultural seasons / business cycles [2][4].
Flagship outcome metric of DAY–NRLM under the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD); central to the government's rural women's economic empowerment narrative [1][2].
Target progressively raised: 2 crore → 3 crore (Budget 2024) → 6 crore (current); relevant for GS-II (welfare schemes) and GS-III (rural economy, financial inclusion) [3][1].

18 Feb 2026: Union Minister for Rural Development & Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a DAY-NRLM review meeting at Krishi Bhavan and ordered work on a "war footing" to achieve the 6 crore Lakhpati Didi target [1].
He directed preparation of an action plan to link 10 crore women with financial inclusion initiatives of MoRD [1].
Linked to the National Campaign on Entrepreneurship launched January 2026, targeting training of 50 lakh SHG members through 50,000 Community Resource Persons (CRPs) [1].

2011: NRLM launched (renamed DAY-NRLM in 2015) by MoRD — world's largest women's livelihood mission [5].
15 Aug 2023: PM Modi announced the Lakhpati Didi Yojana from the Red Fort [2].
2023: MoU with Ministry of Ayush for skilling rural women [4].
Interim Budget 2024 (Feb 2024): FM Nirmala Sitharaman raised the target from 2 crore to 3 crore [3].
By June 2025: 1.48 crore SHG women had become Lakhpati Didis [2].
Jan 2026: National Campaign on Entrepreneurship launched [1].
Feb 2026: Target revised upward to 6 crore; 10-crore financial-inclusion plan ordered [1].

Parent scheme: Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) [1].
Ministry: Rural Development (NOT Women & Child Development) [1][2].
Definition threshold: Household income ≥ ₹1,00,000 p.a., monthly ≥ ₹10,000, sustained ≥ 4 cycles [2].
Eligibility unit: SHG member households under DAY-NRLM [2].
Current target: 6 crore Lakhpati Didis [1].
Financial-inclusion target: 10 crore women to be linked with MoRD schemes [2].
Support stack: training, seed capital, Community Investment Fund, bank linkage / SHG-bank loans [2].
Allied initiative: Namo Drone Didi (drone-based agri-services for SHGs) [2].

Economic

Mainstreams informal rural women into the formal credit ecosystem via SHG-bank linkage [2].
Diversifies rural livelihoods beyond subsistence farming through micro-enterprise & skilling [1].

Social / Gender

Direct lever for SDG 5 (gender equality) and SDG 1 (no poverty); targets the bottom of the rural pyramid [2].
Builds female leadership via CRPs / cadre model [1].

Administrative

Convergence model: MoRD + Ayush, Agriculture, MSME, Banks — execution risk lies in inter-ministerial coordination [4].
State-level SRLMs execute; Centre-State fund-sharing (60:40 / 90:10 for NE & hill states) under DAY-NRLM [5].

Financial Inclusion / Tech

Leverages JAM trinity, digital banking correspondents and drone tech (Namo Didi) [2].

Ethical / Governance

Risks: target-driven inflation of "Lakhpati" status without sustainability; need for independent verification of the 4-cycle income criterion [2].

Jan 2026: National Campaign on Entrepreneurship — 50 lakh SHG members via 50,000 CRPs [1].
Feb 18, 2026: Chouhan's "war-footing" review; 6-crore target reaffirmed; 10-crore financial inclusion plan ordered [1].
March 06, 2026: PIB feature on Key Interventions for Women's Economic Advancement detailing progress [1].
June 2025: 1.48 crore Lakhpati Didis achieved [2].

Lakhpati Didi = SHG woman with household income ≥ ₹1 lakh/year [2].
Implementing ministry: Ministry of Rural Development (NOT MoWCD) [1].
Umbrella scheme: DAY-NRLM (launched 2011, renamed 2015) [5].
Announced by PM Modi on 15 August 2023 from Red Fort [2].
Initial target 2 crore → 3 crore in Interim Budget 2024 → 6 crore (2026) [3][1].
Income sustainability criterion: 4 agricultural seasons / business cycles [2].
Avg monthly income benchmark: ₹10,000 [2].
Cumulative achievement (June 2025): 1.48 crore [2].
Namo Drone Didi — allied scheme for drones to women SHGs [2].
National Campaign on Entrepreneurship launched January 2026 [1].
Target of linking 10 crore women with financial inclusion announced Feb 2026 [1].
50,000 CRPs to train 50 lakh SHG members [1].
Current Rural Development Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan (also holds Agriculture portfolio) [1].

GS-II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections; Government policies for women.
GS-III: Inclusive growth; Rural economy; Financial inclusion; SHG-bank linkage.
Probable stems: 1. "Evaluate the Lakhpati Didi scheme as an instrument of rural women's economic empowerment. What structural challenges may limit its scale-up to 6 crore beneficiaries?" 2. "Discuss how DAY-NRLM and Lakhpati Didi initiative leverage the SHG movement for financial inclusion." 3. "Examine convergence across ministries (MoRD, Ayush, MSME) as a model for women-led development ('Nari Shakti')."

DAY-NRLM — parent mission [5].
Namo Drone Didi — drone-based agri-services by SHGs [2].
SHG-Bank Linkage Programme (NABARD) — credit channel.
Stand Up India / MUDRA Yojana — complementary credit windows.
Mission Shakti (MoWCD) — parallel women empowerment umbrella; avoid conflation.
PM-JANMAN / PM-Awas Gramin — other MoRD flagships under convergence.
Financial Inclusion Index (RBI) — measurement framework.
National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP) — World Bank-supported add-on to NRLM.

Wrong ministry: It is MoRD, not Women & Child Development or MSME.
Income criterion: ₹1 lakh is household, annual, sustained ≥ 4 cycles, not individual one-off.
Target confusion: Original 2 crore → 3 crore (Budget 2024) → 6 crore (2026) — easy MCQ trap.
Scheme vs definition: "Lakhpati Didi" is an outcome category under DAY-NRLM, not a standalone CSS with its own Act.
Don't confuse with Namo Drone Didi (drone scheme) or Mahila Samman Bachat Patra (post-office savings).