Mumbai, September 3: The Centre has outlined a roadmap to improve access to bank credit for rural women and Self-Help Groups (SHGs), with a focus on faster loan processing, adequate financing and better support for women-led enterprises.
The roadmap was discussed at a high-level meeting chaired by Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Mumbai on Thursday. Representatives of banks, State Rural Livelihood Missions, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), NABARD and other institutions participated in the discussions.
The meeting examined challenges faced by SHG members while seeking loans, including delays in approvals, documentation requirements, limited credit availability and difficulties at the branch level.
Chouhan stressed that women’s economic empowerment is essential for achieving the government’s broader development goals. He said the target is to increase the number of Lakhpati Didis from around 3.5 crore to six crore.Under the five-year lending plan, the government aims to facilitate ₹10 lakh crore in credit for SHGs and ₹1 lakh crore for individual women borrowers.
The minister called for greater attention to regions with higher levels of poverty, saying financial assistance should reach women who need it most rather than being concentrated in relatively prosperous areas.
He also emphasised the need for better training and greater sensitivity among bank officials. Private banks were urged to participate actively in district-level coordination meetings to improve cooperation with rural livelihood agencies.
To ensure that commitments made during the meeting are implemented on time, Chouhan proposed virtual reviews every three months and physical reviews every six months.
A helpline is also being planned to assist women facing difficulties in accessing bank loans.More than 10 crore rural women are currently organised into around 92–93 lakh SHGs under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
Banks have extended more than ₹13.67 lakh crore in credit to SHGs so far.The discussions are also expected to feed into the future action plan for Financial Inclusion 2.0, with emphasis on timely credit, dedicated financing for women entrepreneurs and wider access to financial services in rural areas.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening women-led livelihoods, expanding financial inclusion and supporting the government’s objective of building a more inclusive and developed rural economy.
