Leh, August 21 (Scoop News)-Administrative Secretary, Rural Development Department (RDD), UT Ladakh, Nidhi Malik, chaired a meeting of the Steering Committee constituted to review the implementation of the Lakhpati Didi, Village Poverty Reduction Plan (VPRP), and Food, Nutrition, Health and WASH (FNHW) components under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
The meeting reviewed the progress of the three components, the status of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), livelihood enhancement initiatives, convergence with various government departments, and the roadmap for achieving the identified targets across Ladakh.
At the outset, officials from the Rural Development Department and Ladakh Rural Livelihoods Mission made a detailed presentation on the objectives and implementation framework of DAY-NRLM, the Lakhpati Didi initiative, VPRP and the FNHW State Core Committee. The presentation highlighted the current status of Lakhpati Didis, key focus areas, convergence initiatives and the way forward for strengthening livelihood opportunities for SHG members.
It was informed that around 15,000 women have been registered under the initiative, with 383 SHG members currently identified as Lakhpati Didis. The department has set a target of identifying and supporting an additional 800 Lakhpati Didis over the next three years. The meeting also reviewed the status of around 2,300 SHGs functioning across Ladakh and discussed measures to expand livelihood opportunities and improve household incomes.
The Administrative Secretary stressed the need to strengthen publicity, branding and market promotion of products prepared by SHG members. She directed the concerned departments to develop dedicated digital and social media platforms to showcase SHG products, highlight their success stories and initiatives, and create wider public awareness.
She called for greater use of e-commerce and online marketing platforms to take SHG products beyond local markets and enhance their visibility among consumers. She further emphasised coordinated efforts among departments to support SHGs in branding, packaging, product diversification and exploring new livelihood opportunities, enabling them to build sustainable and market-oriented enterprises.
She also emphasised strengthening training, cooperative linkages and access to bank credit facilities for SHG members, particularly women being supported under the Lakhpati Didi initiative. The concerned departments were directed to ensure their active participation in the programme and extend the necessary technical, financial and institutional support to SHGs.
Reviewing the VPRP component, the meeting discussed the preparation and implementation of village-level poverty reduction plans and the need to effectively integrate these plans with Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs) and other development programmes. The Administrative Secretary stressed that local requirements and livelihood priorities identified by SHGs should be appropriately reflected in village development plans.
The meeting also reviewed the Food, Nutrition, Health and WASH (FNHW) component, which focuses on improving food and nutrition security, health awareness, and sanitation and hygiene practices among rural households. T
he Administrative Secretary emphasised stronger coordination with the Health and Social Welfare sectors and called for regular health and awareness camps for SHG members and rural communities.
The meeting further discussed the progress of e-KYC and digital initiatives under DAY-NRLM, including the status of Aadhaar/e-KYC compliance and related portal-based processes.
The Administrative Secretary stressed the need for timely updating of digital records and effective monitoring through dashboards and other digital tools to assess performance and identify gaps.
She also reviewed the training requirements, resource availability and budgetary provisions under the programme and directed the concerned departments to ensure that capacity-building activities are aligned with the actual needs of SHG members.
She emphasised regular monitoring of key performance indicators and benchmarking Ladakh's progress against relevant national-level parameters to identify areas requiring further improvement.
The meeting was held virtually and attended by the Director, RDD; District Programme Officers (DPOs); representatives of the Departments of Health and Social Welfare; Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs); officials of Ladakh Rural Livelihoods Mission; Assistant Commissioners Development (ACDs); and other concerned officers from Leh and Kargil districts.
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