Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Gujarat, beginning Friday, during which he will attend a ‘Lakhpati Didi Sammelan’ in Navsari district, coinciding with International Women’s Day.
During his visit, PM Modi will attend the ‘Lakhpati Didi Sammelan’ at Vansi-Borsi, where he will distribute financial assistance exceeding Rs 450 crore to over 2.5 lakh women from 25,000 self-help groups across the state.
Launched by PM Modi on August 15, 2023, the ‘Lakhpati Didi Yojana’ aims to promote women’s entrepreneurship and economic independence. The scheme supports self-help group (SHG) members who earn Rs 10,000 or more per month, or Rs 1 lakh annually, through activities like agriculture, animal husbandry, and small-scale industries. Currently, 1.5 lakh women have attained the status of ‘Lakhpati Didi.’
The ‘Lakhpati Didi Conference’ at Vansi-Borsi will see participation from 1 lakh women from Navsari, Valsad, and Dang districts, many of whom are SHG members striving to become ‘Lakhpati Didis.’
PM Modi will interact with 10 selected beneficiaries and felicitate five Lakhpati Didis with certificates.
A film highlighting Gujarat’s progress under the scheme will also be screened. Additionally, two major state-specific schemes will be launched during the event.
On March 8, PM Modi will launch the G-SAFAL (Gujarat Scheme for Antyodaya Families for Augmenting Livelihoods) initiative to boost economic self-sufficiency among women from Antyodaya families.
Over the next five years, the scheme will benefit 50,000 Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cardholder families across two aspirational districts and 13 talukas in Gujarat.
The key features of G-SAFAL include Rs 1 lakh financial assistance and vocational training per SHG woman, Rs 500 crore assistance to 50,000 women over five years, one field coach for every 50 to 60 women, and weekly coaching and capacity-building sessions.
The G-MAITRI (Gujarat Mentorship and Acceleration of Individuals for Transforming Rural Income) scheme will also be launched, focusing on rural startups and social entrepreneurship. Through the Gujarat Social Enterprise Fund (G-SEF), Rs 50 crore will be allocated to support livelihood-focused startups over five years, aiming to empower 10 lakh rural women and youth.
The key features of G-MAITRI include incentives for social enterprises in the startup and growth phases, open participation for both for-profit and non-profit enterprises supporting rural livelihoods, support for over 150 startups in five years through seed and scale startup programmes, grants of Rs 20 lakh to Rs 30 lakh for enterprise development, Rs 20 lakh assistance for seed startups and up to Rs 30 lakh for scale startups, promotion of rural development through entrepreneurship and self-reliance, and workshops and training to strengthen the ecosystem.
(IANS)
