Srinagar, May 13: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday congratulated the Rural Development Department and J&K Rural Livelihoods Mission (UMEED) for their remarkable contribution towards transforming rural livelihoods and empowering women across Jammu & Kashmir.
The Chief Minister said that the sustained efforts of the Rural Development Department and UMEED have brought about a significant socio-economic transformation in rural areas by strengthening women-led Self Help Groups (SHGs) and promoting financial inclusion and entrepreneurship.
The Chief Minister’s remarks came in the back drop of growing national recognition received by Jammu & Kashmir’s women-led rural development initiatives under UMEED.
Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Shivraj Singh Chouhan also commended the leadership of the Jammu & Kashmir Government and the J&K Rural Livelihoods Mission (UMEED) for the remarkable achievements across Jammu and Kashmir.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, the Union Minister stated that continued focus on scaling high-value enterprises, strengthening market ecosystems and deepening convergence would further accelerate the progress achieved under UMEED.
Expressing confidence in the future trajectory of the programme, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that Jammu & Kashmir would continue to set benchmarks in women-led rural development.
In his communication, the Union Minister observed that Jammu & Kashmir has emerged as a strong example of inclusive and women-led rural transformation under UMEED.
Highlighting the financial inclusion component, the Union Minister said that the progress has been complemented by over ₹3,106 crore in bank credit and ₹820 crore in capitalization support facilitated under the programme.
During his Budget Speech 2026-27, the Chief Minister had reiterated that under the Lakhpati Didi initiative, 2,00,952 SHG women had already become Lakhpati Didis, while the remaining 32,048 potential households would be covered by June 2026 to further enhance women’s economic empowerment and rural enterprise.
Over 8.10 lakh women have been mobilised into more than 96,000 SHGs, with over ₹3,106 crore in bank credit facilitated and more than 2.30 lakh women achieving annual incomes above ₹1 lakh under the Lakhpati Didi initiative.
The Chief Minister had also stated that the government would proactively increase the number of Lakhpati Didis by converging the initiative with Mission Yuva.
