SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has seen the formation of over 94,000 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and the emergence of more than 1.84 lakh ‘Lakhpati Didis’ within a span of six months, under the Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (JKRLM).
This was revealed during a review meeting chaired by Secretary, Rural Development Department and Panchayati Raj (RDD&PR), Mohammad Aijaz Asad, to assess the progress of key JKRLM initiatives across the Union Territory.
Highlighting the Mission’s impact, the Secretary was informed that JKRLM has now reached 7.55 lakh rural households and placed Jammu and Kashmir among the top-performing States and Union Territories in multiple performance parameters. These include securing the first position in Cluster Level Federation (CLF) profiling, second in Village Organisation profiling, and fourth in SHG profile capturing.
The Lakhpati Didi initiative — aimed at enabling women to earn an annual income of Rs 1 lakh or more — has already empowered over 1.84 lakh women through activities in agriculture, livestock, manufacturing, services and trade. The Secretary noted that the target of supporting 2.3 lakh such women is expected to be met by the end of June, with convergence support from departments such as Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and MSME.
Mohammad Aijaz Asad commended the achievements of the Mission and urged the officials to step up efforts in lagging areas, emphasising the need for stronger financial linkages between SHGs and banking institutions. He also called for innovative income generation interventions beyond traditional SHG-bank linkages to make women-led SHGs self-sustaining.
The meeting also reviewed the functioning of Community Managed Training Centres (CMTCs). It was informed that six CMTCs have already been established to serve as integrated district-level capacity building hubs, with plans underway to set up centres in 14 more districts during the 2025–26 financial year. The Secretary directed district administrations to allocate government buildings for these centres and ensure timely infrastructure provisioning.
Recognising the efforts of Digi Sakhis and Bank Sakhis in promoting digital literacy and financial inclusion, the Secretary praised their role in strengthening last-mile banking services in rural areas.
Further, the Secretary reviewed farm and non-farm livelihood programmes under the Mission. The Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) exceeded its coverage goals, achieving 123 per cent of the target in outreach to women farmers and 140 per cent in livestock-related interventions during FY 2024–25. Similarly, non-farm programmes like the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) and Micro Enterprise Development (MED) met their targets with full fund utilisation.
The Secretary emphasised the importance of real-time data tracking, continuous monitoring and measurable impact assessment to ensure that JKRLM delivers transformative outcomes for rural communities.
Mission Director Dr Shubhra Sharma presented a detailed overview of the mission’s achievements and reaffirmed the commitment to scaling up interventions to uplift rural women economically across Jammu and Kashmir.
