🗞️ Why in News The Ministry of Rural Development, under DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission), launched the National Campaign on Entrepreneurship-II on August 21, 2026, coinciding with World Entrepreneurs’ Day.
What the Campaign Targets
Running from August 21 to November 21, 2026, the campaign targets entrepreneurship and livelihood training for 5 lakh Self-Help Group (SHG) women, formalisation of 50,000 enterprises, orientation of 50,000 community cadres, 2 lakh new producer-group members, agro-ecological promotion among 20 lakh women, and onboarding 25,000 SHG members to e-commerce platforms including ONDC and GeM.
Why This Matters
The campaign is aligned with the government’s broader goal of creating 6 crore “Lakhpati Didis” nationally, and reflects a policy shift from subsistence-level SHG livelihoods toward scalable enterprise formalisation with genuine market linkages, rather than skilling alone.
UPSC Relevance
This connects GS3 rural development and inclusive growth with GS2 government schemes for women’s economic empowerment. A useful Mains angle examines why market-linkage infrastructure like ONDC and GeM onboarding is essential for converting SHG-based skilling into sustainable rural enterprise, rather than skilling in isolation.
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
National Campaign on Entrepreneurship-II:
- Launched under: DAY-NRLM, Ministry of Rural Development
- Duration: August 21-November 21, 2026 (3 months)
- Targets: 5 lakh SHG women trained; 50,000 enterprises formalised; 25,000 SHG members onboarded to ONDC/GeM
- Aligned with the national goal of 6 crore Lakhpati Didis
Other Relevant Facts:
- Coincides with World Entrepreneurs’ Day, observed August 21
Sources: PIB, Ministry of Rural Development
Source: Ministry of Rural Development Launches National Campaign on Entrepreneurship-II — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs
