Over 16,000 women in Arunachal achieve ‘Lakhpati Didi’ status

More than 16,000 women in Arunachal have achieved ‘Lakhpati Didi’ status, while nearly one lakh women have been mobilised into 15,999 self-help groups (SHGs), Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein said on September 14.

Sharing the figures on social media, Mein said the growing ‘Lakhpati Didi’ movement was creating new opportunities for women to turn their skills, local resources and entrepreneurial potential into sustainable livelihoods.

“When women earn, families gain greater security, communities become more resilient and local economies grow,” Mein said.

The ‘Lakhpati Didi’ initiative aims to help women associated with SHGs achieve a sustainable annual household income of at least Rs 1 lakh through diversified livelihoods, entrepreneurship, skill development, financial inclusion and convergence with government schemes.

According to figures shared by Mein, more than 16,000 women in Arunachal Pradesh have already attained ‘Lakhpati Didi’ status, while nearly one lakh women have been mobilised through 15,999 SHGs.

Another 36,000 potential ‘Lakhpati Didis’ have been identified, indicating further scope to expand the initiative across the state.

To strengthen women-led community institutions, Arunachal Pradesh has also established 1,488 primary-level federations and 91 cluster-level federations (CLFs), Mein said.

“Our priority is to strengthen this momentum by connecting women with skills, finance, technology, markets and new livelihood opportunities, so that more women can move from economic participation to economic leadership,” said Mein, who also holds the finance, planning and investment portfolios.

The state government has set a target of establishing 30 Viksit CLFs by March 2027, with the aim of building stronger, self-reliant and sustainable women-led institutions.

The latest figures are part of Arunachal Pradesh’s ongoing efforts under the Arunachal State Rural Livelihoods Mission (ArSRLM) to promote women’s economic empowerment through SHGs and their federations.

Officials said the approach is focused not only on increasing the number of women earning higher incomes, but also on building community institutions that can support women entrepreneurs, improve access to markets and finance and encourage greater leadership among women.

The broader objective, Mein said, is to build a stronger Arunachal Pradesh driven by economically empowered women.