Srinagar: A regional workshop on the National Supportive Supervision Framework (NSSF) and SHE-LiFE initiative concluded in Srinagar, focusing on strengthening rural livelihoods, promoting women-led enterprises and building self-reliant community institutions under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
The workshop was organised by DAY-NRLM, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, and hosted by the Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (JKRLM), Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.
Joint Secretary (Rural Livelihoods-I), Ministry of Rural Development, Amit Shukla, stressed the need to help rural women transition from Mahila Kisans to confident Mahila Udyamis. He highlighted digital platforms, SHE-LiFE, better market access and convergence with departments and schemes such as Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and MGNREGA to promote 1.6 lakh structured, market-ready women-led enterprises.
He called for greater emphasis on quality and strengthening community institutions, particularly Cluster Level Federations (CLFs), which he said should remain central to governance, credit facilitation and livelihood support.
Deputy Secretary, Rural Livelihoods, Ministry of Rural Development, Dr Monika B., emphasised grassroots empowerment, saying strong women-led institutions are vital for sustainable rural prosperity. She stressed continuous capacity building, effective governance and direct market linkages to transform Self-Help Groups into autonomous institutions.
The workshop saw detailed discussions on technology-enabled livelihood solutions, implementation strategies and expanding economic opportunities for rural women entrepreneurs. Participants also discussed the National Supportive Supervision Framework, a collaborative coaching and supervision model with management tools, governance benchmarks and defined implementation timelines.
A roadmap was also unveiled for transforming CLFs into autonomous “Swavalambi CLFs”, with a target of developing 5,000 Model CLFs over the next five years.
Mission Director, JKRLM, Dr Shubhra Sharma, expressed satisfaction over JKRLM hosting the regional workshop and said participation from different States and Union Territories provided an opportunity to exchange experiences and evolve coordinated strategies for strengthening rural livelihoods.
She thanked the delegates, participating State teams and State Mission Directors for their active participation and said collective efforts would help build resilient, self-reliant and community-led rural institutions.