• To bring a sharper focus on moving women to the higher economic order, the Ministry of Rural Development launched an initiative on creating Lakhpati SHG women, to enable rural SHG women to earn at least Rs.1 lakh per annum.
• For the realization of this ambitious goal, the Ministry has envisioned livelihood support to 25 million rural SHG women in the next 2 years.
• Based on various models existing across the country, a detailed advisory has been issued to the State Governments.
• In the consultation on 28.10.2021, the importance of well-planned interventions to diversify livelihood activities at the household level ranging from Agriculture and allied, Livestock, NTFP (Non-timber Forest Products) and other interventions through convergence were emphasized to realize an annual income of INR 1 lakh on a sustained basis. The importance of strengthening SHG, VO (Village Organization) and CLFs (Cluster Level Federations) to anchor these kinds of interventions was also highlighted and stressed upon.
• The dedicated Community Cadres of SHG members trained in different fields would be instrumental in realizing their goal.
• The role of Civil Society Organizations, KVKs (Krishi Vigyan Kendras) and other private market players is critical in this intervention. States were advised to encourage and forge these partnerships as well.

National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM)

• NRLM was launched by MoRD with the investment support of World Bank.
• NRLM is to cover 7 crore rural poor households across 600 districts and 2.5 lakh GP and 6 lakh villages through SHG in the period of 8-10 years.
• In 2015, NRLM was renamed Deendayal Antayodaya Yojana (DAY-NRLM).
• National Rural Livelihood Mission works on a saturation approach.
• As of date, 6768 blocks have been covered under the programme with mobilizing 7.7 crore women into 70 lakh SHGs.
• From providing initial capitalization support to the SHGs are being credited to the tune of almost 80 thousand crore rupees annually.
• Under the mission, poor women from different cross-sections of class and caste form into Self Help Groups and their federations, providing financial, economic and social development services to their members for enhancing their income and quality of life.

Features of DAY-NRLM

• Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development organizing the rural poor into self-governed institutions with a focus on building capacity and creating diversified livelihood opportunities for Rural Poor Women.
• The mission has made successful strides through the Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana bringing focus on the role of women as farmers. Moving from the phase of community mobilization and building institutions of women, now the focus is on envisaging SHG women in higher-order economic activities through producer groups, FPOs and producer companies.
• Atleast 1 woman from each rural household is to be brought under SHG.
• Special emphasis on vulnerable people, PVTG, PwDs and bonded labour.
• Target Group is identified through Participatory Identification of Poor (PIP) method. This Target group is delinked from BPL. It should be examined by Gram Sabha and approved by GP.
• NRLM provides Revolving Fund (RF) and Community Investment Fund (CIF) as resources.
• It works on demand and supply sides of financial inclusion.
• Demand side: promotes financial literacy & provides capital to SHG.
• On the supply side, Mission coordinates with the financial sector and encourages use of ICT and Bank Mitras.

Other components of DAY-NRLM

• It also works towards universal coverage of rural poor against risk of loss of life, health and assets. NRLM focuses on 3 pillars - Vulnerability reduction and livelihoods enhancement, employment and enterprises.
• Innovative projects under National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP) for financial inclusion, value chains around rural products, innovative models.
• NRLM has set up support structures at the National (NMMU), State (SMMU), district (DMMU) and sub-district levels (BMMU/PFT). They will be linked with Govt, District Rural Development Agencies (DRDAs), and PRIs.
• In order to implement the NRLM effectively, National Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (NRLPS) has been set up under Societies’ Registration Act of 1860, under MoRD, as the technical arm of the Mission. The NMMU has been made an integral part of NRLPS.
• Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana - under DAY-NRLM to provide alternative employment to SHG members to provide community rural transport to connect rural villages with key services.
• Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP): To meet specific needs of women farmers and technical empowerment especially small and marginal farmers.

Legal Awareness Programme for Women

• The National Commission for Women (NCW) along with National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has launched a pan-India Legal Awareness Program for Women, "Empowerment of Women through Legal Awareness” to impart practical knowledge about legal rights and remedies provided under various women related laws, thereby making them fit to face the challenges in real life situations.
• The programme aims to cover all the States and Union Territories across the country through regular sessions to make women aware of the various machineries of the justice delivery system available for redressal of their grievances.
• The project will sensitize women and girls about their rights as provided under the various laws including the Indian Penal Code.
• The project will also make them aware of the procedure of approaching and utilizing various channels available for the redressal of grievances, i.e., the Police, the Executive and the Judiciary.

Legal Awareness Programme

• Earlier, the Commission had launched a pilot project ‘Legal Awareness Programme’ in collaboration with NALSA for women at the grass-root level on August 15, 2020.
• The Pilot project covered all the districts of 8 States, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Assam.