Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 3 (ANI): Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting in Mumbai to review Self-Help Group (SHG)-bank linkages and individual enterprise financing under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
According to an official statement, the meeting focused on ensuring faster, adequate and accessible credit for women entrepreneurs and addressing difficulties faced by SHG members in accessing bank loans.
Chouhan also directed officials to set up a helpline to address issues faced by SHG members in accessing credit.
SHG women, bankers, officials of State Rural Livelihood Missions, representatives of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and other stakeholders participated in the meeting and discussed bottlenecks in the loan process, regional disparities and possible solutions.
The meeting reviewed data and ground-level challenges faced by SHG members, including delays in loan approvals, paperwork, low credit limits and difficulties at the branch level.
Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan, Maharashtra Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Jaykumar Gore and Minister of State Yogesh Kadam, Secretary, Department of Rural Development; Rohit Kansal, Joint Secretaries Amit Kumar Shukla and Swati Sharma, along with other senior officials, attended the meeting.
Representatives from the Department of Financial Services, NITI Aayog, RBI, NABARD and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) were also present.
Addressing the meeting, Chouhan said women's empowerment was a fundamental prerequisite for building a developed India.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision, Chouhan said that from the Red Fort this year, the Prime Minister had reiterated the commitment to increase the number of Lakhpati Didis from three crore to six crore.
Chouhan urged all stakeholders to place national interest above individual interests and work with a sense of duty.
"We are not doing this merely as a profession or simply for a livelihood. Whether our officers or our friends associated with banks, we have a commitment to serve the country and serve the people. We are working to fulfil that commitment," he said.
He called upon all stakeholders to remain committed to achieving the target and improving the lives of women.
"There should be a determination, passion and enthusiasm within us that we have to change the lives of our sisters. We must constantly ask ourselves how our contribution can be the best and how we can do better. If we make that effort, we will certainly achieve the target faster," he said.
Chouhan said achieving the first target of three crore Lakhpati Didis was relatively easier as many women were already earning Rs 60,000, Rs 70,000 or Rs 80,000.
"But now that we have to reach six crore, we will also have to make women earning Rs 40,000, Rs 50,000 or Rs 30,000 Lakhpati Didis," he said.
The Union Minister appreciated the performance of bankers and said the progress achieved so far was a matter of pride.
"Almost every bank has achieved one-and-a-half times its target this year, and some have even achieved twice their target. I extend my heartfelt congratulations for this. But going forward, we will have to come together again with the same passion and commitment," he said.
As per the release, Chouhan directed all stakeholders to ensure that commitments made during the meeting were implemented within defined timelines.
He announced that stakeholders would meet virtually once every three months and hold a physical meeting every six months to monitor progress.
"If there is continuity in our meetings, we will certainly be able to adhere to the timelines as well," Chouhan said.
Highlighting difficulties faced by SHG women at the banking level, Chouhan called for greater training and sensitisation among bank officials.
"You have seen that the biggest problems faced by our sisters arise at the bank level. We have to make efforts towards training and sensitising people at that level," he said.
He called for regular meetings of State Rural Livelihood Missions with active participation from banks.
"In particular, I have received complaints that private bankers are often absent from these meetings and from District Level Consultative Committee (DLCC) meetings. They too must make every effort to fulfil this commitment with seriousness," he said.
Chouhan stressed that areas with higher levels of poverty must receive greater attention in the distribution of credit.
"Many times, more money goes to places where prosperity already exists. Bank branches provide loans more quickly there. But where the need is greater, our focus should be there. 'Let us light the lamp where darkness still exists.' Those must certainly be our focus areas," he said.
Under DAY-NRLM, more than 10 crore rural women have so far been organised into around 92-93 lakh Self-Help Groups.
Chouhan said approximately 3.5 crore Lakhpati Didis had been created so far against the target of six crore.
Over the next five years, the government has set a target of making Rs 10 lakh crore in loans available to SHGs and Rs 1 lakh crore in loans to individual women members.
According to the release, the discussions held at the meeting will feed into the future action plan under the Financial Inclusion 2.0 vision.
The initiative will focus on timely and adequate credit for SHGs, dedicated financing for women entrepreneurs and expanding access to financial services across rural India.
Chouhan assured that every possible step would be taken to ensure that SHG women do not face difficulties in accessing bank loans.
A helpline, process improvements and continuous coordination with bankers will be used to identify and remove bottlenecks.
The meeting is expected to contribute to strengthening women-led rural development, deepening financial inclusion and promoting inclusive economic growth across rural India. (ANI)
Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviews SHG-Bank Linkages, lays out credit roadmap for women entrepreneurs
