NRLM 15th anniversary book highlights rural women self-help groups and livelihoods in India

The National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) marked its 15th anniversary with the release of “Claiming Our Skies”, a book documenting its work on rural poverty alleviation and women’s empowerment. Published by Social Science Press and produced by Transform Rural India, it traces NRLM’s scale, including millions of self-help groups and wide access to finance and livelihoods.

Former Rural Development Secretary Shailesh Kumar Singh said the National Rural Livelihoods Mission NRLM is a major effort on rural poverty and women’s empowerment. Singh spoke on Wednesday at the launch of a book on the flagship scheme. The release marked the mission’s 15th anniversary and traced more than a decade of changes in rural areas.

The National Rural Livelihoods Mission, also called Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-NRLM, is the Ministry of Rural Development’s main programme. It focuses on organising rural poor women into self-help groups. It also works to build community institutions. The aim is better livelihoods and wider financial inclusion across rural India.

NRLM book release marks 15th anniversary

The book is titled Claiming Our Skies -- the Story of National Rural Livelihoods Mission. It was brought out by Transform Rural India TRI and published by Social Science Press. The book has writing from 30 practitioners, policymakers, researchers and community leaders. It records how the programme grew through self-help groups, federations, and livelihood work.

"Claiming Our Skies is a comprehensive chronicle of one of Indias most ambitious and transformative initiatives for rural poverty alleviation and womens empowerment. This book inspires renewed commitment to harnessing the power of womens collectives, strengthening institutional frameworks, and advancing rural livelihoods for a more equitable and prosperous India,\" Singh said.

NRLM scale and women’s self-help groups

A statement from TRI described NRLM as one of the largest social sector initiatives globally. It said the mission mobilised around 100 million rural women. These women joined more than 9 million self-help groups. The statement said this helped access to finance, livelihoods, and community-led institutions at an unprecedented scale.

Anirban Ghose, Managing Director, TRI, said NRLM’s key impact is in local institutions. \"NRLMs greatest achievement is precisely this: it has created a new grammar of deliberative community where women across caste lines sit together, decide together, and hold each other accountable,\" he said. The statement added the mission influenced women’s roles in villages.

Over the last 15 years, the statement said NRLM became one of the world’s largest poverty alleviation programmes. It reported a clear change in women’s roles. Women have been taking positions as decision-makers, entrepreneurs and community leaders. The book presents this journey through programme experiences and perspectives from multiple contributors.

With inputs from PTI