CM Yogi Adityanath: Yogi Adityanath’s Mission Shakti campaign is being lauded as a big success in women’s economic empowerment. Some 18.55 lakh women in Uttar Pradesh have now crossed the “lakhpati” income mark.
The success is due to the state’s Lakhpati Didi initiative, which encourages women to earn sustainable incomes through self-employment and small businesses.
What does the “18.55 Lakh” number mean
The number of women earning more than ₹1 lakh a year through businesses associated with Self-Help Groups (SHGs).
The women are engaged in activities such as food processing, handicrafts, tailoring, retail, dairy business and digital business. Most are from rural households where women traditionally were not financially independent.
How Mission Shakti is Helping Women
Mission Shakti was launched as a larger framework for women’s safety, dignity and self-reliance. In the course of time, the programme expanded from safety initiatives to include economic empowerment through training, credit support and market access.
The Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission has been instrumental in linking women to SHGs, bank loans and skill development programmes.
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Visible Change in Rural Economy
Officials said under the Lakhpati Didi programme, nearly 35 lakh women have been identified, and more than half of them have already crossed the ₹1 lakh income level.
This growth is being viewed as a significant shift in the management of rural economies, with women-led enterprises having a greater impact on household incomes and the local business environment.
From Beneficiary to Entrepreneur
The government is pitching the programme as a move away from welfare dependency to entrepreneurship.
Yogi Adityanath has repeatedly said that women’s financial independence is an important part of the state’s development strategy. Supporters of the initiative say it gives women confidence, decision-making power and long-term economic stability.
A New Paradigm for Grassroots Empowerment
CM Yogi Adityanath: Uttar Pradesh is selling Mission Shakti as more than a welfare campaign. SHGs are becoming more active, and women-led micro-businesses are growing steadily.
Now, it is being sold as a grassroots economic movement, with social empowerment and entrepreneurship, especially in rural areas where opportunities were once thin on the ground.
