New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) The government on Wednesday said that the key objective of the ‘National Campaign on Entrepreneurship’ is to train and build capacity of 50,000 community resource persons (CRPs) on enterprise promotion and impart Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) training to 50 lakh SHG members of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).

DAY-NRLM aims to bring a transformational change in the income levels of rural women by promoting diversified and sustainable livelihoods.

According to the Ministry of Rural Development, promotion of non-farm rural enterprises is a critical pathway to achieve this goal.

“Over the years, several non-farm livelihood schemes including ‘Star-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme’ have demonstrated successful enterprise models supported by trained community cadres. These cadres act as grassroots-level catalysts by providing enterprise identification, start-up support, mentoring, and handholding,” it noted.

Meanwhile, the government has committed to enable at least 3 crore Lakhpati Didis — SHG women members earning Rs 1 lakh or more per annum.

The scale required to meet the Lakhpati Didi goals necessitates a massive upscaling of this cadre.

According to the government, the National Campaign on Entrepreneurship presents a strategic opportunity to deepen enterprise development across India’s rural landscape, foster local economic growth and unlock the entrepreneurial potential of SHG women.

“This focused campaign will not only create thousands of community resource persons but also catalyse millions of rural entrepreneurs, paving the way for a resilient, inclusive, and self-reliant non-farm rural economy and opening up opportunity for linkages with formal financial institutions for grassroots enterprises and enterprise loans,” said the statement.

The Lakhpati Didi Scheme aims to empower women in rural India by helping members of Self-Help Groups earn at least Rs 1 lakh a year in a sustainable way.

The scheme supports women by promoting small businesses, improving skills, teaching financial literacy, and providing easier access to loans, so they can become financially independent and improve their families’ living standards.

Launched under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission, the scheme focuses on ensuring that SHG women earn Rs 1 lakh or more every year, which works out to an average monthly income of around Rs 10,000, earned consistently over time.

–IANS

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