PRAYAGRAJ, Aug. 26 -- Prayagraj has secured the second position in Uttar Pradesh in the family saturation drive under the rural livelihood mission, with 23,559 eligible families brought under the programme during the 15-day campaign held from August 5 to 20, officials said. The campaign focused on identifying rural households, particularly women, who were yet to be linked with self-help groups (SHGs) or the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM), and connecting them with livelihood, banking and government support. Chief development officer Harshika Singh said door-to-door surveys were conducted during the campaign to identify eligible families left out of the mission. "The objective was to connect every eligible rural woman with self-employment, banking facilities and government schemes to strengthen their economic independence," she said. Prayagraj also formed 2,348 new SHGs during the campaign. Bahraich topped the state with 23,591 families covered, while Ghazipur ranked third with 19,774 families. Across Uttar Pradesh, 3,22,705 eligible families were brought under the mission and 30,128 new SHGs were formed during the saturation drive. The campaign is part of the state's efforts to expand the reach of the livelihood mission in 2026-27. Prayagraj NRLM deputy commissioner Shama Singh said the district had already linked 1.22 lakh new eligible families with SHGs in the current financial year. The district now has 31,753 SHGs with 4,00,951 families associated with them. The government has set a target of linking seven lakh families with SHGs in Prayagraj. Mission manager and campaign nodal officer Sharad Singh said the newly linked women will be able to access savings, credit, training and employment opportunities. With around four lakh families already linked with the Aajeevika Mission in Prayagraj, the saturation campaign is aimed at ensuring that eligible rural households are not left out of the livelihood support network, officials maintained....