SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir had 2,52,867 women classified as Lakhpati Didis under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) as of March 31, 2026, while Ladakh had 246, according to data placed before the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The figures put JK 19th among 34 States and Union Territories listed in the Union Government’s State-wise data, while Ladakh ranked 33rd. JK accounted for about 0.73 per cent of the national total of 3,46,49,448 Lakhpati Didis, with Ladakh accounting for around 0.0007 per cent.
The Ministry of Rural Development, in its reply to Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 123, said more than 3.46 crore Self-Help Group (SHG) members had achieved Lakhpati Didi status nationally by March 31, 2026, against the overall target of six crore. The Government has allocated an additional target of 4.10 crore across States and Union Territories to help achieve the six-crore goal.
JK also had 735 Community Resource Persons-Enterprise Promotion (CRP-EPs) and Business Development Service Providers (BDSPs) under the National Campaign on Entrepreneurship, placing it 16th among the listed States and UTs. Ladakh had 12 such field-level resource persons.
Under the campaign, launched on January 12, 2026, 66,591 SHG members in JK had been trained, according to the Ministry. This was the third-highest figure among the States and UTs for which training data was provided, behind Andhra Pradesh (8,64,424) and Uttar Pradesh (3,62,252). Ladakh was not listed separately in the training table.
Nationally, 41,38,229 SHG members had been trained under the National Campaign on Entrepreneurship. The Ministry said more than 66,000 CRPs, including CRP-EPs and BDSPs, had been oriented and sensitised to provide basic entrepreneurship training and handholding support to SHG members. A further 400 Master Trainers had been developed through the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), Noida, and the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati.
The Ministry said the Government regularly reviews the Lakhpati Didi initiative at national, State, district and block levels. The initiative is aimed at enabling SHG members to earn a sustainable annual household income of at least Rs 1 lakh.
The data shows a wide variation in the number of Lakhpati Didis across States and UTs. Maharashtra led with 49,66,617, followed by Bihar with 43,40,227 and West Bengal with 34,20,962. Uttar Pradesh had 33,52,157. At the other end, Lakshadweep had no Lakhpati Didi listed, while Andaman and Nicobar Islands had 674.
The Ministry said data on Lakhpati Didis is captured through the Digital Aajeevika Register using the LokOS digital platform. The system records baseline household income and periodically updates income and livelihood information. Self-declared information is validated at the block level by community resource persons, Block Programme Managers and District Programme Managers before being entered into the register.
The Government said independent evaluations have found positive outcomes from DAY-NRLM and its related interventions. A 2024 evaluation found household incomes increased by around 10 per cent over the medium to short term, while incomes in mature Cluster Level Federations increased by between 12 and 33 per cent.
The 2024 endline evaluation of the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme found that 96 per cent of supported enterprises remained operational, 79 per cent of entrepreneurs had established their first business, 74 per cent reported their enterprise as their primary occupation and 73 per cent earned a regular monthly income. Around 86 per cent reported increased savings.
The Ministry said a 2025 NITI Aayog evaluation found DAY-NRLM to be a highly relevant and impactful programme, citing improvements in household incomes, livelihood diversification, financial inclusion, financial literacy and women’s empowerment. A 2024 assessment of the Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana found that about 79 per cent of Mahila Kisans had adopted and sustained improved agricultural practices.
For JK and Ladakh, the Ministry said entrepreneurship support, institutional credit linkage and market access are provided through the continuing DAY-NRLM framework. This includes capacity building, bank linkage, the Community Investment Fund, interest subvention, support for women-owned enterprises and market-facing collectives.
The Ministry said it does not maintain a separate State-wise or parliamentary constituency-wise expansion plan for these interventions. Implementation is carried out by State Rural Livelihoods Missions in a demand-driven manner across eligible districts and blocks.
Nationally, the Ministry is also expanding market access for SHG products through the Saras, Saras Aajeevika and Aajeevika brands. Twenty-five States have created State-level brands. The Ministry organises two national-level Saras Melas, one food festival and more than 50 State-level Saras Melas each year, while its e-commerce platform eSaras has tie-ups with GeM, ONDC, Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho and JioMart to promote SHG products.
The Ministry said Maharashtra, which was the focus of the parliamentary question, had identified 51.59 lakh Potential Lakhpati Didis and verified 49.62 lakh Lakhpati Didis. In Jalgaon Lok Sabha constituency, 3.34 lakh Potential Lakhpati Didis and 2.42 lakh Lakhpati Didis were recorded as of March 31, 2026, supported by 1,676 CRPs.
