Credit camp held in Kohima, ‘Lakhpati Didi’ scheme rolled out

KOHIMA — The Nagaland State Rural Livelihood Mission (NSRLM), in collaboration with the District Mission Management Unit (DMMU), Kohima district, organised a district-level credit camp coinciding with the launch of the “Lakhpati Didi” scheme at Sechü Zubza on Sunday.

Rajuselie Lhousa, state programme manager (financial inclusion), NSRLM, delivering the keynote address on the occasion, stated that the district-level credit camp was part of the scheme that Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched across the country.

Lhousa recalled in his speech that the Prime Minister made a declaration on Independence Day last year to create two crore lakhpati didis in villages across the country.

He added that in the interim budget on February 1, 2024, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ scheme would now target three crore women rather than two crore.

In this context, Lhousa urged women self-help groups (SHGs) throughout the state to explore various projects and strive to become lakhpati didis.

Kekhrievonuo Ciesotsu, the branch manager of State Bank of India (SBI), Sechü Zubza, highlighted various loan schemes offered by SBI and encouraged women SHGs to take advantage of SHG loans due to their low interest rates.

She mentioned that SBI is committed to assisting women SHGs in enhancing their livelihood activities. Subsequently, she presented sanction letters to three SHGs under the Sechü block.

Keduseho, field officer at Nagaland State Co-operative Bank in Kohima, acknowledged NSRLM’s assistance in easing the loan process for the SHGs and called for the proper utilisation and timely repayment of the loans.

Keduseho advised the women SHGs to prioritise bookkeeping and emphasised the importance of providing valid documents when applying for loans. He urged the SHGs to uphold loyalty in their banking practices to receive increased assistance from financial institutions.

Highlighting the status of SHGs in Kohima district, Pelebeituo Peter Solo, district coordinator (financial inclusion), reported that there are 1,336 SHGs with 10,221 members in Kohima district.

Videtonu Phinyo, the area coordinator for financial inclusion in the Sechü block, highlighted the credit linkage status. She informed that there are 138 SHGs under the Sechü block.

Two loan beneficiaries, Viketuno Edith Rutsa and Sabita Thapa, shared their success stories on the occasion and expressed gratitude to NSRLM and financial institutions for uplifting their business ventures.