‘Bima Sakhi Yojana’ Empowers SHG Women as Rural Insurance Ambassadors

In a landmark step towards economic empowerment and grassroots financial inclusion, the Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, announced the formal launch of the ‘Bima Sakhi Yojana’, a visionary initiative of the Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Launched under the ambit of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), the scheme is designed to enable trained women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to become insurance facilitators—‘Bima Sakhis’—in their respective Gram Panchayats. These women will act as local agents of change, enhancing awareness and access to life insurance services among rural populations, while also securing entrepreneurial opportunities and income for themselves.

Bringing ‘Insurance for All by 2047’ to the Grassroots

Shri Chouhan emphasised that the Ministry of Rural Development has entered into a strategic partnership with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to operationalise this scheme in alignment with India’s ambitious “Insurance for All by 2047” goal. The initiative not only supports insurance penetration in the rural and semi-urban landscape but also places women at the forefront of this national mission.

“This scheme is a powerful vehicle for women’s empowerment. It brings financial services to the last mile and paves the way for achieving the vision of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” said Shri Chouhan during his address.

‘Bima Sakhis’: Catalysts of Gender Equality and Economic Mobility

By appointing SHG women as Bima Sakhis, the government is equipping them with professional training in insurance literacy, client servicing, and claims facilitation. These women will operate at the Gram Panchayat level, ensuring accessibility and trust in the delivery of insurance products and services such as Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).

This model contributes directly to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 – Gender Equality, by opening new paths for entrepreneurship, digital inclusion, and income diversification. It also supports the Lakhpati Didi Mission, which aims to enable at least 2 crore rural women to earn over ₹1 lakh annually by August 15, 2025.

“The ‘Bima Sakhi Yojana’ is more than a livelihood scheme—it’s a movement,” said Shri Chouhan. “It makes our rural sisters partners in national development, equipping them with tools of financial self-reliance and social leadership.”

Strengthening the Socio-Economic Fabric of Rural India

The ‘Bima Sakhi Yojana’ integrates into the broader framework of India’s financial and digital transformation, complementing initiatives such as:

• Jan Dhan Se Jan Suraksha

• Digital India

• Mission Shakti (women’s skill development and empowerment)

• PM Vishwakarma (rural skill recognition and formalisation)

Bima Sakhis will not merely function as insurance agents, but as community-based financial educators and crisis response liaisons, helping rural families cope with risks—particularly climate and disaster-related challenges—by promoting risk mitigation through micro-insurance.

“They are the torchbearers of resilience. As the country battles both climate vulnerability and economic disparity, Bima Sakhis are ensuring that no household remains financially unprotected,” Shri Chouhan noted.

Creating Local Employment and Building Rural Trust Networks

The programme is also a rural employment generation initiative, offering dignified, skill-based, and sustainable livelihood avenues for women in every village. With women-led SHGs acting as operational arms of rural financial mobilisation, the Bima Sakhi model is strengthening public trust in insurance and bridging the rural-urban service delivery gap.

Employment and social trust, when combined, become powerful tools of transformation. The Ministry has envisioned scaling up the deployment of Bima Sakhis in all Gram Panchayats, allowing them to act as a first point of contact for insurance schemes, renewals, claims support, and awareness campaigns.

A Call for Jan Bhagidari and State-Level Adoption

Shri Chouhan called on all states, Union Territories, and partner organisations—including civil society actors, insurance providers, and community-based institutions—to join hands in making this a national movement.

“Together, let us take the ‘Bima Sakhi Yojana’ to every village, every household. This is not just policy implementation—it is people’s participation in nation-building,” he stated.

Bima Sakhi Yojana: A Vision for Resilient Bharat

The launch of the Bima Sakhi Yojana marks a bold convergence of financial inclusion, gender empowerment, and rural resilience. As India aspires to become a developed nation by 2047, such grassroots-led initiatives ensure that every woman becomes a stakeholder in national prosperity and every family becomes secure against financial shocks.

With its emphasis on localised delivery, digital innovation, and community ownership, the scheme is poised to become a pillar of inclusive and sustainable development in the years to come.

“Bima Sakhis are agents of economic resilience and pioneers of social equity. With their support, India is not only insuring lives but also empowering them,” Shri Chouhan concluded.