PM interacts with women Self Help Groups in ‘Atmanirbhar Narishakti se Samvad’

What is the News?

Prime Minister (PM) of India has participated in ‘Atmanirbhar Narishakti se Samvad’.

Key Highlights from the Conference:

1. During the Conference,  the Prime Minister interacted with women members of self help groups (SHGs) and community resource persons promoted under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission(DAY-NRLM).
2. The PM also appreciated the women Self-Help Groups for their unprecedented services during the Covid-19 period. Such as SHGs contribution in making masks and sanitizers and providing food to the needy.
3. Further, the PM also released funds to SHGs under PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM FME) Scheme and for Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs).
4. Moreover, the PM also announced that now the limit for loans available to SHGs without guarantee has been doubled to Rs 20 lakh.

About Self Help Groups(SHGs):

1. Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are small voluntary associations of poor people, who come together for the purpose of solving their common problems through self-help and mutual help. 
2. They can be defined as a self governed, peer controlled information group of people with similar socio-economic background and having a desire to collectively perform common purpose.
3. Currently,  there are 70 lakh self help groups across the country which is more than three times the figure during 6-7 years.