Self Help Groups (SHG) for Women in Dairy Sector

The Department of Animal Husbandry is implementing National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) and Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) for Cooperatives, Milk Producer Companies (MPC), Self Help Groups SHG and Farmer Producer’s Organization (FPO). The SHGs are eligible to be supported irrespective of gender. However, the Ministry of Rural Development is implementing Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods mission (DAY-NRLM) through SHG network.

As per information received from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the Ministry of Finance, Government of India has set up a “Women Self Help Group Development Fund” to implement a ‘Scheme for promotion of Women SHGs in Left Wing Extremism Affected and Backward districts of India’ including dairy scheme. As on 31 December 2021, the cumulative funds released by NABARD towards grant assistance, training, capacity building and other initiatives, out of this fund, stood at ₹ 150.02 crore.

This Department provides assistance under Dairy Development schemes for creation/ strengthening /modernization of infrastructure for procurement, processing and marketing of milk & milk products for benefit of dairy farmers including women. The women member associated in dairy sector also gets benefit under these schemes.

As, on date, no proposal from SHGs under above said schemes has been received in the Department. As per information received from MoRD, as of now, more than 81,000 women farmers are being supported under dairy value chain development interventions of DAY-NRLM scheme with support of National Dairy Development Board (Dairy Services). This is a demand driven scheme and no proposal was received from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra under this scheme.

The assistance provided to Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra by this Department for dairy development under NPDD, Dairy Entrepreneurship Development Scheme (DEDS), DIDF and Supporting Dairy Cooperatives and Farmer Producer Organizations engaged in dairy activities (SDCFPO) during last 3years and current financial year are given below:

(Rs. in Crore)

*DEDS has been closed on 31.03.2021

(1) NPDD and DIDF Schemes have been recently restructured to include SHGs.

(2)  Apart from above, NABARD has informed to make following efforts for development of SHGs:

1. NABARD has been extending grant support to partner agencies for promotion and nurturing of SHGs, for training and capacity building of SHG members and other stake holders, beside initiating special programme for backward regions. The domain of SHGs consist of 87.75 percent women groups. SHGs work both in Farm and Non-Farm Sector, which includes dairy.
2. Micro Enterprise Development Programme (MEDP): NABARD has been supporting skill and entrepreneurship training to SHG members through MEDP since March 2006. Cumulatively, around 5.22 lakh SHG members, mostly women, have received training through 18,434 MEDPs as on 31 March 2021.
3. Livelihood and Enterprise Development Programme (LEDPs): Livelihood and Enterprise Development Programme (LEDP) was initiated by NABARD on a pilot basis in December 2015 with a view to create sustainable livelihoods among SHG members, mostly women and to obtain optimum benefit from skill upgradation. LEDP envisages conduct of livelihood promotion in both farm and off-farm activities under project mode in clusters in contiguous villages. There is a provision for intensive training for skill building, refresher training, backward-forward linkages, handholding and escort support for credit linkage. Cumulatively 1,36,098 SHG members have been supported through 1,284 LEDP programmes up to 31 March 2021.

This information was given by Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Shri Parshottam Rupala in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.