The Ministry of Rural Development is set to review the next phase of bank financing for women-led rural enterprises, with a high-level meeting in Mumbai focusing on expanding credit access for Self Help Groups and individual businesses.
Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan will chair the meeting with banks and State Rural Livelihoods Missions (SRLMs) on September 3, 2026, in Mumbai. The discussions will examine ways to strengthen SHG-bank linkages and financing for individual enterprises.
The meeting comes as the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) moves towards a greater focus on supporting women whose livelihood activities are developing into established businesses.
Over the past one and a half decades, the mission has mobilised more than 10 crore rural women into over 93 lakh Self Help Groups (SHGs) and their federations. The banking sector has provided cumulative credit disbursement of over Rs. 13.67 lakh crore to SHGs, supported by what the ministry described as consistently high repayment discipline.
The programme has also seen 3.46 crore women emerge as Lakhpati Didis. With many of these enterprises entering a growth phase, the ministry has identified women-led businesses, access to finance and the transition towards sustainable rural enterprises as the next strategic priorities.
Senior representatives from the Reserve Bank of India, Department of Financial Services, public and private sector banks, Regional Rural Banks, cooperative banks, NABARD, PFRDA, Central Ministries and State Rural Livelihoods Missions will participate in the meeting.
Before the main review, Chouhan will interact with Self Help Group members, including several Lakhpati Didis who are running established rural enterprises.
The discussions will focus on several specific lending priorities. These include doubling the individual enterprise credit portfolio, increasing the average amount disbursed to SHGs, reducing the time taken for loan sanction and disbursement, and extending credit linkage to SHGs that remain outside the formal banking system, including those in difficult regions.
The role of the cooperative credit network at the District Central Cooperative Bank (DCCB) and Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) levels will also be examined.
The ministry said the deliberations will contribute to the future action plan under its Financial Inclusion 2.0 vision. The focus is on timely and adequate credit for SHGs, dedicated financing for women-led enterprises and wider access to higher-order financial services in rural India.
Source: This information based on an official press release issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB)
Press Release: Press Information Bureau
