Govt Trains 2.94 Cr SHG Women Under National Livelihood Mission

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 5 February 2026

• 2.94 crore rural women SHG members trained in financial literacy in FY26
• 56,727 women deployed as Financial Literacy Community Resource Persons
• Programme implemented under the National Livelihood Mission

India has undertaken one of its largest financial literacy drives for rural women, training 2.94 crore women self-help group (SHG) members between April and December 2025 under the National Livelihood Mission (NLM), Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

The initiative, implemented during the first nine months of FY 2025-26, focused on strengthening financial inclusion among rural women through awareness of banking services, digital transactions, savings, credit, insurance, and pensions. A key pillar of the programme has been the creation of grassroots leadership, with 56,727 women SHG members trained and deployed as Financial Literacy Community Resource Persons (FL-CRPs) across the country.

Replying in the Rajya Sabha, Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah stated that these FL-CRPs conduct regular community-level training programs, acting as peer educators to improve financial behavior, enhance access to formal financial systems, and support informed household-level decision-making. The peer-led model is expected to generate a multiplier effect, as financially aware women often influence broader community practices.

The initiative aligns with the National Cooperation Policy 2025, which places women at the centre of cooperative-led economic growth. The policy promotes inclusive participation of women in cooperatives, particularly in sectors such as dairy, handicrafts, food processing, textiles, and community services, supported by legal recognition, digitisation, and improved access to finance.

Under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), SHGs function as informal, women-managed collectives, while their Cluster Level Federations (CLFs) are registered under cooperative laws. So far, 10,381 CLFs have been registered nationwide.

Complementing these efforts, the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) is supporting women-led cooperative enterprises across agriculture, services, and infrastructure, while the National Council for Cooperative Training (NCCT) has trained over 3.12 lakh women since 2021 in leadership, governance, and financial management, further strengthening women’s role in India’s cooperative and livelihood ecosystem.