PRAYAGRAJ, Aug. 14 -- In a significant move to strengthen rural livelihoods and promote women-led entrepreneurship, 368 micro-enterprise Sakhis have been appointed across Prayagraj district under the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM). The initiative aims to connect members of self-help groups (SHGs) with sustainable livelihood opportunities, officials said. According to Ashok Kumar Gupta, deputy commissioner of the livelihood mission in Prayagraj, the district's 92 SHG clusters will now each have four dedicated micro-enterprise Sakhis. These women will serve as grassroots facilitators, guiding and supporting fellow SHG members in launching and sustaining micro-enterprises. Gupta added that the selected Sakhis will undergo formal training, with dates to be finalised by the state administration. Currently, more than 25,000 women's SHGs are active across 1,540 villages in the district. The appointment of micro-enterprise Sakhis is the latest initiative under UPSRLM, following the success of similar roles such as BC Sakhi, Vidyut Sakhi, Krishi Ajeevika Sakhi, Pashu Sakhi, and Surya Sakhi implemented across the state. Under the scheme, SHG women will receive comprehensive training in micro-enterprise development-ranging from business setup and management to marketing and sales. Financial assistance, including bank loan facilitation, will also be provided to support their entrepreneurial ventures. Officials noted that the initiative aims to economically empower around 18,400 rural women. Each sakhi will mentor approximately 50 women, helping them access self-employment opportunities, financial services, and business development support. "This is a significant step toward strengthening grassroots entrepreneurship and ensuring economic self-reliance for rural women in Uttar Pradesh," Gupta said. Technical support for the program is being provided by the NGO Development Alternatives. Each micro-enterprise sakhi will receive a monthly honorarium of Rs 1,200 to Rs 2,000, along with reimbursements for travel, mobile usage, and other operational expenses. At the state level, the plan is to train a total of 13,064 women as micro-enterprise sakhis, with the broader goal of establishing over 6.5 lakh micro-enterprises across Uttar Pradesh....