Extending Credit to SHG Women is the Safest Investment for the Nation- Shivraj Singh Chouhan

“Extending Credit to SHG Women is the Safest Investment for the Nation”: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Women-Led Rural Transformation Contributing Significantly to the Vision of Viksit Bharat”: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

National Conclave on Financial Literacy & Resilience and 25th Central Level Coordination Committee Meeting Held in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, 21 February 2026

The Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, organised the National Conclave on Financial Literacy & Resilience on 20 February 2026 in Hyderabad, bringing together policymakers, regulators, financial institutions, State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) and community leaders to deliberate on strengthening financial awareness, enhancing household resilience and advancing inclusive economic growth across rural India.

The Conclave featured thematic technical sessions on financial literacy, household-level financial resilience and expanding access to credit for livelihoods and enterprises. Discussions underscored the importance of continuous financial education, deeper financial inclusion and stronger institutional convergence. Community-based institutions such as Self Help Groups (SHGs) and their federations were recognised as trusted and scalable platforms for delivering financial services and financial literacy interventions.
On 21 February 2026, the 25th Central Level Coordination Committee (CLCC) Meeting was convened in Hyderabad, marking an important step in advancing policy dialogue and strengthening coordination across the rural financial ecosystem.

The meeting was chaired by Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Hon’ble Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development and Chairperson, CLCC. It was attended by Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications, and Smt. D. Anasuya Seethakka, Hon’ble Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Government of Telangana.

Senior officials from the Ministry of Rural Development and the Government of Telangana participated in the meeting, including Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, Rural Development; Shri T. K. Anil Kumar, Additional Secretary; Smt. Smriti Sharan, Joint Secretary; and Smt. Swati Sharma, Joint Secretary. Senior officials from the Government of Telangana, including Shri N. Shridhar, Principal Secretary, Panchayati Raj & Rural Development, and Mrs. Divya Devrajan, Commissioner, Panchayati Raj & Rural Development and Chief Executive Officer, SERP Telangana, along with representatives from NABARD, RBI, banks, the Asian Development Bank and SHG members from various States were also present.

The proceedings commenced with a recapitulation of key insights from the National Conclave, followed by a presentation on “Strategic Insights of DAY-NRLM and the Roadmap Ahead” by Smt. Smriti Sharan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development.

Addressing representatives from banks, financial institutions, regulators, and community resource persons, including Bank Sakhis, BC Sakhis, Financial Literacy Community Resource Persons, and Bima Sakhis, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan emphasised the importance of strengthening bank linkage for SHGs and adopting a focused approach towards supporting individual women entrepreneurs.

He stated that extending credit to SHG women is not a risk but one of the safest investments for the nation. Highlighting the transformative potential of women-led enterprises, he expressed confidence that with collective support from all stakeholders, “Didis” can progress from Lakhpati to Crorepati, thereby accelerating women-led rural transformation and contributing significantly to the vision of Viksit Bharat.

The Hon’ble Union Minister also stressed the need to strengthen last-mile financial access, expand enterprise financing and improve risk protection mechanisms for rural households.

During the event, three major national initiatives were launched:

• Individual Enterprise Bank Loan System for Self Help Group Members
• UPI-based Credit Lines for Self Help Group Members
• Digital Modules on Financial Literacy for Self Help Group Members

These initiatives aim to simplify credit delivery, promote digital finance adoption and strengthen financial capability among rural women.
Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, Rural Development, underscored the critical role of community institutions in driving financial inclusion, enterprise growth and economic resilience.

Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani highlighted that India’s financial inclusion journey must now evolve into enterprise-led empowerment, shifting the focus from access to finance towards productive credit, enterprise promotion and sustained financial capability.

Smt. D. Anasuya Seethakka observed that while Telangana is the youngest State in the country, it has the oldest State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLM), and expressed confidence that Mission-led interventions would enable the women of Telangana to lead the next phase of enterprise creation.

The programme also recognised the contributions of financial institutions through awards for best-performing banks across public and private sectors, Regional Rural Banks and cooperative banking institutions.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment among stakeholders to strengthen convergence, promote financial innovation and accelerate inclusive growth across rural India.