OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: The Arunachal Pradesh government on Friday stressed the need for greater convergence among departments and directed that identified potential Lakhpati Didis be given priority under relevant state and centrally sponsored schemes to help rural women achieve sustainable annual incomes of Rs 1 lakh or more.
The directive was issued during a meeting of the state-level steering committee on the Lakhpati Didi initiative, chaired by Rural Development & Panchayati Raj secretary Dr Sonal Swaroop at the Arunachal State Rural Livelihoods Mission (ArSRLM) office, here.
Dr Swaroop also asked all departments to submit reports on benefits extended to self-help group (SHG) members under various atma nirbhar schemes during the last two financial years.
The reports will help assess the contribution of these schemes towards achieving the objectives of the Lakhpati Didi Initiative, she said.
Dr Swaroop emphasised the need to strengthen inter-departmental coordination to maximise livelihood opportunities and enhance incomes of SHG members.
The meeting was attended by representatives of various line departments and key stakeholders, including officials from the agriculture, skill development and horticulture departments, Arunachal Pradesh Agriculture Marketing Board (APAMB), ArSRLM and the veterinary department, officials said.
Lakhpati Didi is a flagship initiative of the Centre and the state government aimed at enabling women associated with SHGs under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) to achieve a sustainable annual household income of Rs 1 lakh or more.
The programme promotes livelihood diversification, entrepreneurship development, skill enhancement, financial inclusion and convergence with government schemes to improve the socio-economic condition of rural households.
During the meeting, representatives of various departments outlined schemes and interventions that could benefit identified potential Lakhpati Didis. The committee also deliberated on assessing the skill requirements of beneficiaries to facilitate targeted capacity-building programmes.
Departments were asked to compile and share relevant data during upcoming district-level steering committee meetings to be chaired by the respective deputy commissioners.