New Delhi, Oct 23 : The Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) is a key programme working to alleviate poverty in India's rural areas and empowering women, said the government on Thursday.

The flagship poverty alleviation programme is being implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development to reduce poverty by enabling poor households to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, resulting in sustainable and diversified livelihood options for the poor.

It mobilises rural poor households into Self Help Groups (SHGs) and continuously nurtures and supports them to take economic activities till they attain an appreciable increase in income.

The mission, launched in 2016, has so far mobilised 10.05 crore rural households into 90.9 lakh SHGs across India, the government said in an official statement.

It has also supported 4.6 crore female farmers and 3.74 lakh enterprises through various entrepreneurship programmes.

Other key achievements include the deployment of 3.5 lakh Krishi Sakhis and Pashu Sakhis, the formation of 6,000 integrated farming clusters, 1.95 lakh producer groups, benefiting over 50 lakh rural women; 3.74 lakh enterprises supported in 282 blocks.

Further, women SHGs accessed Rs 11 lakh crore in loans since 2013-14, while 47,952 Bank Sakhis were employed in the bank branches to facilitate credit linkage of the SHGs.

The mission also promoted sustainable livelihoods through agriculture, non-timber forest produce, livestock, and non-farm enterprises.

'The DAY-NRLM has become a cornerstone of rural poverty alleviation and women's empowerment in India. It has expanded access to formal credit, skills, and market opportunities, enabling sustainable livelihoods and financial resilience,' the government said.

Through focused initiatives in skill development, entrepreneurship, and convergence with key government schemes, NRLM has diversified income sources and strengthened the rural economy.

'Its robust monitoring systems, strong SHG-bank linkages, and capacity-building measures ensure transparency and accountability, making it a powerful driver of inclusive growth and improved living standards in rural communities,' the government said.

National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) was launched in 2010 as a mission-mode scheme by restructuring the erstwhile Swarnajayanti Grameen Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY).

In 2016, the programme was renamed Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana ' National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM). The central and state governments jointly fund this centrally sponsored scheme. It is one of the world's largest initiatives aimed at improving the livelihoods of the poor.

The Mission is also working to empower SHG women through awareness generation and behaviour change communication on issues such as domestic violence, women's education, and other gender-related concerns, nutrition, sanitation, health, etc.

/IANS