Reliance Foundation and Gates Foundation began the Swayamshree programme in 2023 in three states of India, in collaboration with SRLMs

In Madhya Pradesh, MPSRLM, Reliance Foundation, and Gates Foundation are collaborating with on-ground implementation partners

A compendium of best practices from MP to empower women towards becoming Lakhpati Didis was launched at the Swayamshree Conclave in Bhopal

Bhopal, September 12, 2025: The Swayamshree programme, a collaboration of Reliance Foundation and Gates Foundation with the MPSRLM, has empowered more than 3.8 lakh women in Madhya Pradesh towards becoming Lakhpati Didis. The Swayamshree conclave held here today, brought together policymakers, development practitioners, industry leaders, non-governmental organisations across states, and representatives of women’s collectives to discuss scaling of best practices to strengthen women’s livelihoods.

Speaking at the conclave, Ms Harshika Singh, IAS., CEO, MPSRLM, said, “Swayamshree has encouraged women to dream beyond traditional boundaries. Under the programme, over the past two years, MPSRLM has worked with lakhs of women organised into self-help groups, producer collectives, and federations. This compendium captures those journeys. What makes them significant is not just their success, but their potential to be replicated across districts and states.”

“Our mission is to empower women entrepreneurs in rural communities across India. Working towards this objective through the Swayamshree programme, we are focusing our efforts in three states to develop innovative, replicable and scalable models to enhance women’s agency and strengthen rural livelihoods. In Madhya Pradesh, in collaboration with MPSRLM and our programme partners, the key practices that have emerged from the programme offer models for scaling up for greater impact to empower women towards becoming Lakhpati Didis,” said Ms N Deepthi Reddy, Chief – Women Empowerment, Reliance Foundation.

“The Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Lakhpati Didis’ has created an important national momentum for women’s economic empowerment. The Swayamshree programme builds on this vision by working with State Rural Livelihood Missions and grassroots partners to create sustainable income opportunities for women. The experiences from Madhya Pradesh underline how collaboration between government, philanthropy, and civil society can strengthen women’s livelihoods at scale. At the Gates Foundation, we remain committed to working alongside our partners to advance learnings and good practices that enable economic opportunities for women and enhance their empowerment,” said Mr Alkesh Wadhwani, Director – Growth Opportunity & Gender Empowerment, Gates Foundation.

A compendium of experiences from the women’s empowerment journeys titled, ‘Best Practices from Madhya Pradesh for Strengthening Women’s Livelihoods’, was released at the conclave. It showcases economic empowerment pathways through women’s enterprises from 12 value chains, which emerged from the Swayamshree programme in the state. Swayamshree that began in 2023 in MP aims to empower 4 lakh women entrepreneurs and is implemented by PRADAN and SRIJAN. Through women’s collectives, the programme is supporting and engaging women in farm, off-farm and non-farm income generating activities, to help them achieve an increase in annual income.

The Swayamshree programme aims to reach 10 lakh women across Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Odisha with the goal of enhancing their household incomes up to a minimum of Rs. 1 lakh per annum. The programme is working in close collaboration with each of the State Rural Livelihood Missions and is being implemented by on-ground NGO implementation partners. As Swayamshree builds momentum in collaboration with the government, private sector, philanthropic, and grassroots partners, it is establishing a model for inclusive development to strengthen women’s livelihoods that is both impactful and replicable.

About MPSRLM

MPSRLM is a state-level entity implementing the national Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) to reduce rural poverty by establishing and strengthening self-help groups (SHGs) and their federations. MPSRLM is operational through the state, focusing on social mobilization, providing access to credit and other services, and fostering sustainable livelihoods for the poor. The goal is to create strong grassroots institutions that empower poor households to become self-reliant and improve their economic well-being.

MPSRLM has promoted 5.09 lakh women SHGs having 58.71 Lakh members. Around 39 Lakh SHG members were supported in farm and non-farm livelihood activities.