Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], March 6 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Gujarat on March 7 and 8, 2025. As part of his visit, he will travel to the Navsari district on March 8, coinciding with International Women’s Day.
Under the Prime Minister’s leadership, ‘Lakhpati Didi Sammelan‘ will be held at Vansi-Borsi in Navsari. During the event, he will disburse over Rs 450 crore in financial assistance to more than 2.5 lakh women from over 25,000 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) across the state, according to an official release.
To promote women’s entrepreneurship and financial empowerment across the country, PM Modi launched the ‘Lakhpati Didi Yojana’ on August 15, 2023. Under this initiative, women members of self-help groups who earn Rs 10,000 or more per month and have an annual income of at least Rs 1 lakh through various sources, such as agriculture, animal husbandry, and small industries, are recognized as ‘Lakhpati Didis.’
Driven by the dedicated efforts of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gujarat, nearly 1.5 lakh women in the state have now reached an annual income of Rs1 lakh or more, achieving the status of ‘Lakhpati Didis.’
Honouring their hard work and dedication, the Prime Minister will disburse financial assistance of over Rs450 crore to more than 2.5 lakh women from 25,000 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) across the state on International Women’s Day.
Nearly one lakh women from the Navsari, Valsad, and Dang districts will participate in the ‘Lakhpati Didi Sammelan‘ at Vansi Borsi in Navsari. Most of them will be self-help group members who have either achieved the status of ‘Lakhpati Didi’ or aspire to do so.
During the event, PM Modi will interact with 10 selected Lakhpati Didis and will felicitate five of them with certificates. A film showcasing the progress of the Lakhpati Didi Scheme in Gujarat will also be screened. Additionally, two significant state-specific schemes will be launched during the program.
The G-SAFAL (Gujarat Scheme for Antyodaya Families for Augmenting Livelihoods) scheme will also be launched on March 8 to boost the livelihoods of women from Antyodaya families and strengthen their economic independence.
Over the next five years, the scheme will benefit 50,000 Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cardholder families across two aspirational districts and 13 aspirational talukas in the state. It will provide financial assistance and entrepreneurial training to women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) within Antyodaya families, as per the release.
Under this scheme, each Self-Help Group (SHG) woman will receive Rs1 lakh in financial assistance along with vocational training. Additionally, there is a total of Rs 500 crore in assistance to support 50,000 women over five years. There would be one field coach assigned for every 50 to 60 women and weekly coaching and capacity-building sessions.
To support rural startups and drive social entrepreneurship for impactful solutions in rural areas, the G-MAITRI (Gujarat Mentorship and Acceleration of Individuals for Transforming Rural Income) scheme will be launched. Through this initiative, the Gujarat Social Enterprise Fund (G-SEF) has allocated Rs50 crore over the next five years to assist startups focused on improving rural livelihoods. The scheme aims to empower 10 lakh rural women and youth in Gujarat by providing livelihood opportunities.
Under this scheme, social enterprises will receive incentive support under the new startup and growth startup categories. Both for-profit and non-profit social enterprises working to create livelihood opportunities for rural women and youth in Gujarat can participate in G-MAITRI.
Under this scheme, over the next five years, more than 150 startups will be supported through seed and scale startup programs while grants ranging from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 30 lakh will be provided to support enterprise development. Seed startups will receive Rs 20 lakh in assistance, while scale startups will be eligible for support of up to Rs 30 lakh.
The scheme will promote rural development by fostering entrepreneurship and self-reliance. Workshops and training programs will be conducted to strengthen the broader startup ecosystem.
On International Women’s Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will uphold the spirit of ‘Women-Led Development’ by providing financial incentives to Lakhpati Didis and launching two key schemes to enhance women’s economic empowerment. (ANI)
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