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Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Monday, May 18, said women-led self-help groups (SHGs) are playing a key role in strengthening Tripura’s economy and contributing significantly to the State’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), with more than one lakh women emerging as ‘lakhpati didis’.

Addressing a programme organised by the Tripura Rural Livelihood Mission (TRLM) at Rabindra Bhavan in Agartala, Saha said nearly 4.95 lakh rural women are currently associated with 55,569 SHGs across the State and are working towards economic self-reliance.

He said government initiatives under Samriddhi 1.0 and Samriddhi 2.0 have helped strengthen the financial base of these groups. Under Samriddhi 1.0, the government had initially targeted loan disbursal of Rs 100 crore, which later increased to Rs 188 crore. Similarly, under Samriddhi 2.0, the target of Rs 150 crore was revised upward to Rs 260 crore.

Saha said the State has so far disbursed loans worth Rs 2,398 crore to self-help groups, adding that the low non-performing asset (NPA) level of 1.84% has helped build confidence among banks.

He said the State has already produced 1,08,281 ‘lakhpati didis’, which is making a notable contribution to Tripura’s rural economy and overall economic growth.