Agartala, May 18 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given top priority to the political and economic empowerment of women, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Monday while addressing a gathering of Self Help Group (SHG) members here.

The Chief Minister said women-led SHGs were playing a significant role in Tripura’s predominantly rural economy, with nearly 70 per cent of the state comprising rural areas, thereby contributing substantially to the growth of the state’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).

Tripura ranks second among the northeastern states in terms of GSDP, Saha said, adding that more than 4.95 lakh rural women are associated with 55,569 SHGs across the state’s rural and interior regions and are striving towards economic self-reliance.

Among the 4.95 lakh women members associated with SHGs in Tripura, as many as 1,08,281 have emerged as ‘Lakhpati Didis’ through their involvement in various entrepreneurial activities, the Chief Minister said.

A ‘Lakhpati Didi’ is an SHG member whose annual household income exceeds Rs 1 lakh.

Chief Minister Saha said various banks had extended loans amounting to Rs 2,389 crore to SHGs to strengthen livelihood-related activities, while the state government had provided Rs 837 crore as revolving and community investment funds.

“To achieve the goals of Viksit Bharat and Viksit Tripura by 2047, the joint efforts of both men and women are essential,” he said.

The programme was organised by the Tripura Rural Livelihood Mission (TRLM), the nodal agency for SHG-related activities, at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan here.

The Chief Minister said Samriddhi 1.0 and 2.0 programmes had been implemented successfully to empower rural women economically and socially.

Observing that agriculture remains the backbone of the country’s economy and the lifeline of rural households, Saha said the Integrated Farming Cluster (IFC) approach had been conceptualised to strengthen livelihoods, particularly for SHG members, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision.

“In Tripura, activities under 80 IFCs have already been launched with an investment of Rs 32 crore,” the Chief Minister said.

He added that, on average, 250 to 300 small and marginal farmers had been linked with livelihood service centres, which provide quality seeds, fertilisers and agricultural equipment along with improved market access.

Saha said Prime Minister Modi had described the eight northeastern states as the ‘Ashtalakshmi’ of India and stressed the need to strengthen infrastructure, connectivity and livelihood opportunities for people of the region.

“The BJP government’s main objective is to ensure that every family becomes self-reliant, with special focus on women and youth,” the Chief Minister added.

–IANS

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