An evaluation by NITI Aayog’s Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) has found that the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) has significantly improved rural household incomes, strengthened women’s empowerment and expanded financial inclusion across the country.
The evaluation, commissioned by the Government during the 2025-26 financial year, covered 2,206 rural households across 11 States and two Union Territories, spanning 36 districts and 216 villages.
According to the report, DAY-NRLM has mobilised more than 10 crore rural households into nearly 92 lakh Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and remains closely aligned with national priorities such as poverty alleviation, women’s empowerment and financial inclusion.
The evaluation found that average household incomes increased by 49 per cent among beneficiaries. It also highlighted significant improvements in women’s socio-economic status, with 58 per cent of women reporting enhanced confidence, 52 per cent gaining better access to income-generating opportunities, and 46 per cent becoming capable of independently managing their banking transactions.
The report noted that women-led enterprises have diversified into activities such as tailoring, goat rearing and agri-trading, helping strengthen rural livelihoods and expand income sources.
It also found that SHG-linked credit was largely utilised for livelihood generation. Among respondents, 34 per cent said their first loan was used to establish livelihood activities, while 29.1 per cent used it to support existing income-generating activities.
The evaluation further revealed that 51.7 per cent of Self-Help Groups engaged in group-level enterprises had taken loans to start their activities. Around 75 per cent of respondents across the surveyed states said SHGs had contributed to social and community development, while 54.6 per cent reported participating in mobilising vulnerable and poor women into the programme.
The Ministry of Rural Development said it has established a comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) framework under DAY-NRLM. The framework includes third-party evaluations, real-time monitoring through the LoKOS Management Information System, periodic data validation, field verification and outcome-based assessments to strengthen transparency and programme implementation.
On the financial front, the government said the current Non-Performing Asset (NPA) rate under SHG-linked credit stands at 1.85 per cent, indicating satisfactory repayment performance. It attributed this to the Community-Based Recovery Mechanism, which has been implemented across 62,946 bank branches.
The Ministry also informed that 55,371 Bank Sakhis have been deployed across bank branches to facilitate banking services, assist with Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance, support credit access and strengthen the linkage between banks and women Self-Help Groups.
To improve income tracking, the government has established the Lakhpati Didi Portal, which enables district-wise and state-wise monitoring of annual incomes of SHG households and supports evidence-based planning for income enhancement initiatives.
The information was shared by Minister of State for Rural Development Dr Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
