Archive · 20 Sep 2026
Grassroots Workers Expand Rural Healthcare, Finance and Livelihoods
India has a large group of trained workers helping people in villages.
ASHAs support healthcare, while Anganwadi workers help young children and families.
Other community workers assist with farming, livestock, fishing, banking, insurance and sanitation.
Many of these workers are women connected to local Self-Help Groups.
The DAY-NRLM programme has brought more than 10 crore rural households into about 92 lakh Self-Help Groups.
Bank Sakhis help villagers open accounts, deposit money, withdraw cash and access loans.
Bank Sakhis have helped Self-Help Groups receive large amounts of bank credit.
The government is also training more people to help villagers start businesses.
More than 10.40 lakh ASHAs and 10.58 lakh Anganwadi workers support rural healthcare and early childhood services.
Over 9 lakh Community Resource Persons work across agriculture, banking, insurance, livelihoods and community development.
DAY-NRLM has mobilised more than 10 crore rural households into around 92 lakh women-led Self-Help Groups.
The Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme had supported 4.32 lakh enterprises as of June 2026.
Bank Sakhis have helped Self-Help Groups access Rs 13.41 lakh crore in bank credit since 2013-14.
- Who
- More than 10.40 lakh ASHAs, 10.58 lakh Anganwadi workers, over 9 lakh Community Resource Persons and other grassroots workers.
- What
- The workers are expanding rural healthcare, early childhood services, livelihoods, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion and sanitation support.
- When
- The factsheet was issued on Sunday; enterprise figures are stated as of June 2026, while bank-credit figures cover the period since 2013-14.
- Where
- Across rural India and at the village level.
- Why
- To strengthen decentralised service delivery, mobilise communities and improve access to government programmes and local services.
- ASHAs
- More than 10.40 lakh accredited social health activists are supporting community healthcare.
- Anganwadi workers
- More than 10.58 lakh trained workers are supporting early childhood services.
- Community Resource Persons
- Over 9 lakh CRPs are active in agriculture, banking, insurance and other specialised areas.
- Self-Help Groups
- DAY-NRLM has mobilised more than 10 crore rural households into around 92 lakh SHGs.
- SVEP enterprises
- The Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme had supported 4.32 lakh enterprises as of June 2026.
- Financial intermediaries
- Over 1.48 lakh BC Sakhis provide digital, doorstep financial services, while 50,548 Bank Sakhis facilitate credit linkage.
- SHG bank credit
- Bank Sakhis have helped SHGs access Rs 13.41 lakh crore in bank credit since 2013-14.