PANAJI: The Goa government has decided to cover the members of 3,250 self-help groups in the State with accidental death insurance.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant today chaired the Goa State Rural Livelihood Mission (GSRLM) meeting during which it was also decided to digitize the SHG records by introducing e-bookkeepers.
There are a total of 3,250 SHGs operational in the state, with a revolving fund of Rs 8.28 crore, with financial assistance from banks amounting to Rs 312 crore in loans. Sawant also outlined plans to increase the number of SHGs in the state by 300–400.
The meeting approved the setting up of a supermarket for SHG products under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). SHGs have developed 480 brands and contributed to environmental efforts, such as planting 12,000 trees under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, according to the Chief Minister.
The government has extended the target for the Lakhpati Didi scheme to benefit 17,000 women, with 17,331 SHG members already identified for the initiative. Sawant added that 141 members have been trained as Bima Sakhi to implement accident death insurance coverage under the vision of ‘Insurance for All.’
“The Mukhya Mantri Annapurna Yojana has employed 141 SHGs to run nine canteens across Goa. The Start-Up Village Enterprise Program has also been extended to support 2,039 beneficiaries from five talukas. Additionally, under the ‘One Station, One Product’ initiative at two railway stations, sales of SHG products reach up to Rs 2.5 lakh per day during the peak season,” said Sawant.
Sawant also detailed the implementation of schemes under the Lakhpati Didi umbrella program, including ‘Namo Drone Didi,’ aimed at improving the development of women and rural households. “The collaborative funding model for these initiatives, with 60% of funds provided by the Union government and 40% by the state, to drive sustainable growth in Goa’s rural economy,” said Sawant.
