Credit disbursement to Women Self-Help Groups cross ₹11 lakh crore

The Ministry of Rural Development has crossed a significant milestone under the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), with cumulative credit disbursement to Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) crossing ₹11 lakh crore.

The achievement, enabled by close collaboration with formal financial institutions, marks a major step in the government’s push towards inclusive growth, rural financial empowerment, and women-led economic development.

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Launched with the aim of eradicating rural poverty by organizing poor women into community-based institutions and supporting their livelihoods, DAY-NRLM has become a key driver of grassroots economic transformation. SHGs have emerged as primary vehicles for credit delivery in rural areas, playing a critical role in financial inclusion and enterprise development.

According to the ministry, this scale of credit flow has helped millions of rural women set up and expand micro-enterprises, supported by collateral-free loans, interest subvention schemes, and priority sector lending norms. Notably, the SHG loan portfolio under DAY-NRLM continues to maintain an exceptional repayment rate exceeding 98 percent.

Officials credited this success to the active involvement of banking institutions and the contributions of Bank Sakhis—trained SHG members who function as banking correspondents in rural areas.

These Bank Sakhis assist SHG members with loan applications, documentation, financial literacy, Aadhaar seeding, and social security enrolments, while also strengthening recovery mechanisms at the community level.

“Banks have simplified credit procedures, ensuring easy access for SHGs, while Bank Sakhis have become trusted facilitators on the ground. Together, they’ve made this achievement possible,” a senior official from the Rural Development Ministry said.

The credit disbursement milestone is also being seen as a significant endorsement of the Lakhpati Didi initiative, which aims to support SHG women in becoming financially independent and generating sustainable incomes.

“The ₹11 lakh crore disbursal is more than a number. It is a reflection of what’s possible when rural women are empowered with trust, opportunity, and institutional support,” the ministry added.

With this momentum, the government aims to further deepen the SHG ecosystem and expand support to more women-led enterprises, reinforcing its vision of building a resilient and self-reliant rural economy.