Lakhpati Didi Initiative Raises Household Incomes of Rural Women: What an IIM Study Found
A study by an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) has looked at the impact of the Lakhpati Didi initiative, which helps women in Self-Help Groups (SHGs) earn at least ₹1 lakh a year.
The study found that household income has risen by 61% among the women covered, compared with the time before the programme began.
It also found that the number of women-led enterprises (small businesses run by women) rose by 48% within one year.
The initiative was announced in 2023 and runs under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana: National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) of the Ministry of Rural Development.
The original target of 3 crore Lakhpati Didis was met ahead of its March 2027 deadline. The target has now been raised to 6 crore, and the findings are relevant to how this bigger goal is pursued.
Lakhpati Didi Initiative
The Lakhpati Didi initiative is a central government effort to help women in rural Self-Help Groups earn at least ₹1 lakh a year for their household, and keep earning it year after year. "Lakhpati" means a person who earns or owns a lakh of rupees, and "Didi" means elder sister. It is not a separate scheme with its own budget. It is a target and a method that runs inside the government's main rural livelihood programme, DAY-NRLM, run by the Ministry of Rural Development.
The IIM study tests whether the initiative is doing what its definition promises: raising and holding household incomes, not just counting women. A 61% rise in household income and a 48% jump in women-led enterprises within a year suggest that the mix of training, credit and hand-holding is turning SHG members into earners, which matters as the target doubles to 6 crore.
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)
DAY-NRLM is the central government's main programme to help poor rural families earn a steady income. It brings poor rural women together into Self-Help Groups, links them to bank loans and helps them start or grow livelihoods. It began in June 2011 as Aajeevika, replacing the older Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) of 1999. It is run by the Ministry of Rural Development with the states.
The rise in incomes and women-led enterprises reported by the study comes through the DAY-NRLM system of SHGs, federations, community resource persons and bank linkage. The study's findings are therefore also a measure of how well this larger mission is moving from saving and credit to real, lasting livelihoods.
- Household income of Lakhpati Didi households up 61% since the programme began (IIM study)
- Women-led enterprises up 48% within a year (IIM study)
- Lakhpati Didi announced: 15 August 2023; target raised from 2 crore to 3 crore in the Interim Budget 2024-25
- Lakhpati Didi definition: ₹1 lakh+ annual household income, ₹10,000+ average monthly income, over at least 4 seasons or business cycles
- New target: 6 crore Lakhpati Didis (by March 2029); over 3.46 crore reached as of 31 March 2026
- Nodal ministry: Ministry of Rural Development, under DAY-NRLM (launched June 2011)
- Namo Drone Didi: 15,000 drones to women SHGs; 80% central help up to ₹8 lakh per drone; outlay ₹1,261 crore