Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Thursday chaired the 9th Executive Council Meeting of the Jammu & Kashmir Rural Livelihood Mission (JKRLM) to review its performance under the UMEED (National Rural Livelihood Mission – NRLM) framework and chart a roadmap to strengthen rural livelihoods and women-led development across the Union Territory.

The meeting was attended by senior officials including the Secretary of Rural Development, Managing Director JKRLM, Directors General (Resources and Budget), COO of HIMAYAT, and the Convenor of UTLBC.
During the deliberations, the Chief Secretary stressed the importance of enhancing credit linkages and strengthening Self Help Groups (SHGs) to transform them into sustainable rural enterprises. He emphasised functional Community Managed Training Centres (CMTCs) in every district to provide quality skill training and create vibrant learning spaces for women.
Highlighting financial inclusion, Dulloo directed measures to improve the earnings of Banking Correspondents (BCs) through increased transactions via J&K Bank and Common Service Centres (CSCs). He also urged full utilisation of the Lal Ded Stree Shakti Scheme and Mission YUVA to encourage women entrepreneurs, setting a target to double the number of “Millionaire Didis” from 50 to 100 in the next six months.
Secretary RDD Aijaz Asad reported that UMEED is active across 285 blocks in all 20 districts, mobilising 7,84,053 rural households into 96,000 SHGs, further federated into 7,453 Village Organisations and 650 Cluster Level Federations. Capitalisation support of ₹528.86 crore has been provided to community-based organisations, while SHGs have accessed ₹2,912.66 crore in bank credit since 2013-14.
JMKRLM Managing Director Subhra Sharma highlighted key achievements: 8,231 rural enterprises supported under the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) with ₹18.71 crore disbursed as Community Investment Fund (CIF); farm-based interventions benefiting 5,15,706 Mahila Kisans; and substantial financial assistance through CIF and Revolving Funds.
Under the Lal Ded Stree Shakti Scheme, 2,356 cases worth ₹25.59 crore have been sponsored, with 709 cases sanctioned for ₹8.50 crore. Doorstep banking has engaged 710 SHG members as BCs, 553 of whom are associated with J&K Bank.
The Lakhpati Didi Mission has transformed 2.01 lakh women into entrepreneurs through skill development, financial aid, and market linkages. Additionally, 17,511 SHG members received skill training via ITIs, NIFT, ICICI Foundation, Honda Foundation, and Central University of Jammu. SHG products have been promoted through 7 SARAS Melas, 4 exhibitions, 9 District Haats, 8 UMEED Women Haats, retail outlets at airports, and onboarding on e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, and Meesho.
Financial inclusion initiatives include 337 Bank Mitras and 710 Banking Correspondents, 1.79 lakh members enrolled under PMJJBY and PMSBY, 476 PLD cases disbursed, and convergence of 1,56,843 members with Agriculture, Horticulture, and allied departments.
Looking ahead, JKRLM plans to focus on enterprise scaling, cluster-based growth, capacity building in high-end handicrafts and food processing, financial literacy across all blocks, and strengthening start-up ecosystems through SVEP and MKSP. Exposure visits to best-performing livelihood models in states like Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Kerala, and Telangana, along with establishing mini common facility centres and processing units in 176 clusters, are also planned.