Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Gujarat on March 7 and 8. As part of his tour, he will travel to Navsari district on March 8, International Women’s Day, to attend the ‘Lakhpati Didi Sammelan’ at Vansi-Borsi. During the event, PM Modi will provide financial assistance of over ₹450 crore to more than 2.5 lakh women from 25,000 self-help groups in the state.

PM Modi launched the ‘Lakhpati Didi Yojana’ on August 15, 2023, to promote women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment. Lakhpati Didis are self-help group members earning a monthly income of ₹10,000 or more and an annual income of ₹1 lakh or more through activities such as agriculture, animal husbandry, and small industries. Today, 1.5 lakh women have achieved this milestone, earning them the title of Lakhpati Didis.

Lakhpati Didi Conference

1 lakh women from Navsari, Valsad, and Dang districts will participate in the Lakhpati Didi Conference at Vansi-Borsi in Navsari. These women will primarily be members of self-help groups who have either already become Lakhpati Didis or aspire to achieve this status. PM Modi will interact with 10 selected Lakhpati Didis and will felicitate 5 Lakhpati Didis by presenting them with certificates. Additionally, a film showcasing the progress made under the Lakhpati Didi Yojana in Gujarat will be screened during the program. Furthermore, two significant state-specific schemes will be launched during the event.

G-SAFAL (Gujarat Scheme for Antyodaya Families for Augmenting Livelihoods)

With the aim of improving the livelihood of women from Antyodaya families and making them economically self-sufficient, the G-SAFAL scheme will be launched on March 8. Through this initiative, 50,000 Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cardholder families from 2 aspirational districts and 13 aspirational talukas in Gujarat will benefit over the next five years. This scheme aims to provide financial assistance and entrepreneurship training to women in Self-Help Groups (SHGs) from Antyodaya families.

Key Features of the Scheme:

• ₹1 lakh assistance and vocational training for each SHG woman
• ₹500 crore assistance to 50,000 women over five years
• 1 field coach for every 50 to 60 women
• Weekly coaching and capacity-building sessions

G-MAITRI Scheme (Gujarat Mentorship and Acceleration of Individuals for Transforming Rural Income)

The G-MAITRI Scheme will also be launched to promote rural startups and social entrepreneurship, offering effective solutions for rural development. The Gujarat Social Enterprise Fund (G-SEF) has allocated ₹50 crore to support rural livelihood-focused startups over the next five years. This scheme aims to empower 10 lakh rural women and youth in Gujarat by fostering entrepreneurship.

Key Features of the Scheme:

• Incentives for social enterprises in the new startup and growing startup categories
• Participation is open to for-profit and non-profit social enterprises that support rural livelihoods in Gujarat.
• Support for over 150 startups in five years through seed and scale startup programs
• Grants of ₹20 lakh to ₹30 lakh for enterprise development
• ₹20 lakh assistance for seed startups and up to ₹30 lakh assistance for scale startups
• Promotion of rural development through entrepreneurship and self-reliance
• Workshops and training to strengthen the ecosystem