Agartala: In a landmark move to strengthen women’s economic empowerment, the Tripura Rural Livelihood Mission (TRLM) is partnering with the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta to transform 250 women-led enterprises into ‘Crorepati Didis’, marking a significant milestone in rural entrepreneurship.
According to TRLM Chief Executive Officer Tarit Kanti Chakma, the initiative involves a ₹10.60 crore incubation programme that will run for three years with technical and strategic guidance from IIM Calcutta. The project aims to scale up promising women-led individual and group enterprises across Tripura, enabling them to achieve annual turnovers in crores.
“Initially, our target was to create 150 Crorepati Didis, but the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) encouraged us to expand it to 250, given Tripura’s remarkable progress in women’s empowerment through Self Help Groups (SHGs),” Chakma said.
Currently, over 4.68 lakh households in Tripura are part of 54,263 SHGs, with 1.08 lakh women already earning more than ₹1 lakh annually as ‘Lakhpati Didis’. Several SHGs have scaled their ventures to generate annual revenues exceeding ₹40 lakh, playing a key role in revitalizing the state’s rural economy.
Under the new initiative, TRLM will invite applications from aspiring women entrepreneurs through local newspapers. IIM Calcutta will evaluate the submissions and select high-potential candidates, prioritizing those already running SHG-based enterprises with an annual turnover of ₹5 lakh or more. Non-SHG members with viable business models can also apply.
The selected women will receive capacity-building training, business development support, credit linkage, and market access to help them scale their ventures sustainably. TRLM will establish district and block-level incubator cells to provide continuous mentorship and progress monitoring.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between TRLM and IIM Calcutta will soon be signed to formalize the collaboration. IIM Calcutta, which has successfully implemented similar entrepreneurship programmes in West Bengal, Assam, and Bihar, will serve as the incubator partner for the Tripura project.
“The Centre selected Tripura for this model project because of its strong record in effectively executing government schemes and empowering rural women entrepreneurs,” Chakma noted.
Officials believe the initiative will be a game-changer for Tripura’s rural economy, setting a precedent for women-led enterprise development and positioning the state as a model for inclusive, self-reliant growth in the Northeast.
