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Women's Empowerment & SHGs

Women's Empowerment & SHGs

One of the quietest revolutions in India is the rise of women's Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Under DAY-NRLM, the number of rural women in SHGs grew from a few crore to over 10 crore across ~91 lakh groups — small savings-and-credit collectives that lend to members and run enterprises. The Lakhpati Didi drive aims to make 3 crore of them earn over ₹1 lakh a year, and 'Drone Didis' now fly agri-drones. The counter shows women mobilised into SHGs.

Woman and child from Tamil Nadu. Original caption: One of the women we work with, enrolled in an Self Help Group.
Woman and child from Tamil Nadu. Original caption: One of the women we work with, enrolled in an Self Help Group. · McKay Savage · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
10 cr
Women in SHGs
91 lakh
Self-help groups
3 cr
Lakhpati Didi target
Women in SHGs
Women in SHGs
YearWomen in SHGs
20143 crore
20153 crore
20164 crore
20175 crore
20186 crore
20197 crore
20207 crore
20218 crore
20229 crore
20239 crore
202410 crore
202510 crore
2014
0crore
Women in SHGs
20142025
Since 2014
Added
+8 crore
2014
3 crore
2025
10 crore

Why it matters SHGs give rural women income, credit, confidence and a political voice — one of the most effective engines of grassroots women's empowerment.

  • Women in SHGs: ~2.5 cr (2014) → ~10 cr (2024); ~91 lakh SHGs
  • Lakhpati Didi target 3 crore; ₹9.7 lakh cr SHG bank loans
  • Source: DAY-NRLM
The Government of India has envisioned a transformative approach to uplift the socio-economic status of rural poor women through the ambitio
The Government of India has envisioned a transformative approach to uplift the socio-economic status of rural poor women through the ambitio · Dr.Amarinder Kaur · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
This photograph shows women members of a Mahila Mandal dressed in traditional Kullvi Pattu, a woolen wrap commonly worn by women in the Kull
This photograph shows women members of a Mahila Mandal dressed in traditional Kullvi Pattu, a woolen wrap commonly worn by women in the Kull · Rajani Gairshail · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Self Help Group women in rural Kanchipuram showing them solidarity, and pride in group saris and braving the heavy rain to raise awareness o
Self Help Group women in rural Kanchipuram showing them solidarity, and pride in group saris and braving the heavy rain to raise awareness o · McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
TOP: Pranitha and Fauzia, a Hindu girl and a Muslim girl, at Kalleda Rural School in 2004. Four years later, Pranitha went to the Beijing Ol
TOP: Pranitha and Fauzia, a Hindu girl and a Muslim girl, at Kalleda Rural School in 2004. Four years later, Pranitha went to the Beijing Ol · Photo2929 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

History

Self-Help Groups — small collectives of rural women who pool savings and lend to each other — scaled up massively under DAY-NRLM, from a few crore members to over 10 crore women across ~91 lakh groups.

Lakhpati & Drone Didis

SHGs now access ~₹9.7 lakh crore in bank loans. The Lakhpati Didi drive aims to make 3 crore women earn over ₹1 lakh a year, and 'Drone Didis' are trained to fly agricultural drones for a fee — turning members into entrepreneurs.

How it works

The model is the self-help group (SHG) — 10-20 women who pool small savings, lend to each other, and over time get linked to bank loans at low rates. Under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, tens of lakhs of these groups are federated into village and block organisations, giving poor rural women collective bargaining power, a credit history, and a route into enterprise — from dairy to drones.

Outlook

Around 10 crore women are now in roughly 90 lakh SHGs — one of the largest such networks in the world. The flagship goals are Lakhpati Didi (helping women earn over ₹1 lakh a year, with about 3 crore reached) and Namo Drone Didi (putting agri-drones in women's hands). The real test is scale and durability — turning savings groups into lasting businesses, not just loan channels, and moving members from subsistence to genuine prosperity.

The road ahead

The real test is scale and durability — turning membership into steady, growing livelihoods with better training, market access and credit across states.

By the numbers

Women in SHGs ~2.5 cr → ~10 cr; ~91 lakh groups; ₹9.7 lakh cr loans; Lakhpati Didi target 3 cr. Source: DAY-NRLM.

Source: DAY-NRLM / Ministry of Rural Development — women mobilised into SHGs (crore), 2014–2025.