Gujarat registers over 5 lakh ‘Lakhpati Didis’, sets target of 10 lakh women entrepreneurs

Gujarat has recorded over 5.96 lakh women earning more than ₹1 lakh annually under the Union government’s Lakhpati Didi scheme. Launched in 2023, the initiative aims to support three crore women across the country by 2027.

In Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led State government has set a target of enabling 10 lakh women to achieve this income level through self-employment and enterprise.

The scheme supports rural women associated with self-help groups (SHGs) to start income-generating activities in agriculture, animal husbandry, trade, manufacturing, and services. It provides skill training, financial assistance, marketing support, and access to government welfare schemes. Income is calculated by including earnings from farm and non-farm work, wage employment, employed family members, and commissions or honorariums.

Digital Aajeevika Register

As of July 2025, 10.74 lakh women in Gujarat have been identified by trained Community Resource Persons (CRPs) as having the potential to become Lakhpati Didis, officials said on Thursday. “To support this, the Ministry of Rural Development has created a Digital Aajeevika Register, which records each woman’s livelihood activity, assets, expenditure, and income. Based on this information, women are being provided with resources tailored to their needs.”

To strengthen implementation, according to officials, the Gujarat government has deployed 124 Master Trainers at the taluka level. These trainers have trained over 10,000 CRPs who work directly with women in SHGs. The CRPs offer guidance on business development, linkages to schemes, and monitoring progress through the Digital Aajeevika Register.

The initiative has led to changes in income levels in several districts, they said, stating that in Mahuva taluka of Surat, Ankitaben Pinalbhai Patel from Shekhpur village began working as a drone pilot in 2024, spraying crop protection products. Within a year, she earned ₹2 lakh. Earlier, her household income depended on farming. She now receives regular orders and manages the work with support from her family, they said.

The Gujarat government is continuing its work with SHGs and CRPs to meet the 10 lakh target, they said, and added that “all support services under the scheme are being tracked and delivered using digital tools developed by the Ministry of Rural Development.”