The Bhagwant Mann Government will honour 14,100 women entrepreneurs across constituencies, districts and at the state level as the Punjab State Rural Livelihood Mission (PSRLM) marks International Women’s Day on 18 March, with ₹25,000 each for 100 top entrepreneurs and a sharp drop in Non Performing Assets of Self Help Groups from 18 percent to 2.16 percent.
Announcing large scale celebrations and detailing financial and organisational gains since 2022, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said the government has expanded Self Help Groups, boosted funding, and strengthened rural women’s economic power across the state.
Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond stated, “From each constituency, 100 Self Help Group women entrepreneurs will be felicitated with awards across the state. A total of 11,700 women entrepreneurs will be awarded. Similarly, from 23 districts, 2,300 women entrepreneurs, 100 from each district, will be honoured. At the state level, a committee will select the top 100 women entrepreneurs of Punjab, and each of them will be awarded ₹25,000. In total, 14,100 women entrepreneurs will be awarded by the state.”
Elaborating on the achievements of the Punjab government, the Punjab Minister stated, “A total of 28,734 Self Help Groups have been formed from 2022 to 2026, compared to 29,053 Self Help Groups formed between 2011 and 2022 during the previous regimes. Similarly, 2,90,213 Self Help Group members have been added in just four years from 2022 to 2026, whereas 2,97,083 members were added over eleven years from 2011 to 2022.”
Highlighting organisational expansion, he added, “A total of 2,427 village organisations have been formed from 2022 to 2026, compared to 1,806 village organisations formed between 2011 and 2022. Likewise, ₹53.03 crore has been issued as revolving fund to Self Help Groups from 2022 to 2026, whereas ₹28.59 crore was issued as revolving fund between 2011 and 2022.”
Detailing financial support, the Minister shared, “₹84.88 crore as Community Investment Fund has been issued from 2022 to 2026, compared to ₹105.72 crore issued between 2011 and 2022. Apart from this, Self Help Groups have availed loans amounting to ₹631.76 crore from 2022 to 2026, whereas ₹171.13 crore was availed between 2011 and 2022. Our government has drastically reduced the Non Performing Assets of Self Help Groups to 2.16 percent from 2022 to 2026, compared to 18 percent between 2011 and 2022. In view of this, it is crystal clear that the achievements of the present government are significantly higher than those of previous governments.”
Explaining the objective of the Punjab State Rural Livelihood Mission, he further said, “The main objective of PSRLM is to make women from rural poor families economically strong by connecting them with Self Help Groups. Today, women in rural areas are successfully playing their role in savings, credit management, small enterprises, cottage industries, agricultural allied activities and service sectors. Many women have become entrepreneurs in their villages, creating employment opportunities and becoming a source of inspiration for other families.”
Highlighting the scale of outreach, Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond revealed that there are a total of 58,000 Self Help Groups to date, with about six lakh rural women associated with them. The Punjab government has provided ₹30,000 as revolving fund, ₹50,000 as Community Investment Fund, and a loan facility at 7 percent rate of interest is being availed by these beneficiary women. So far, about ₹802.89 crore of bank loans have been taken by the members, with a Non Performing Asset rate of only 2 percent. This shows that women are repaying loans on time with financial discipline. Even during the floods, the government provided about ₹18 crore of assistance without interest to purchase 3,000 cattle.
Emphasising holistic support, the Minister said, “Through PSRLM, women are not only being connected with financial assistance, but also with training, market linkages, banking assistance and social security schemes. These efforts are not only increasing the income of rural families but also improving their social status. We appeal to everyone to connect the maximum number of women with Self Help Groups to make them economically strong so that the dream of ‘Sashakt Mahila, Sashakt Punjab’ can be fulfilled.”