Self-Help Group (SHG) structures facilitated by Jammu & Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (JKRLM) have seen a huge growth of rural livelihood initiatives in Kashmir which are led women. However, despite extensive documentation of the improvements in financial participation and community engagement brought about by SHGs across India the evidence in terms of a systematic synthesis directly associating these livelihood interventions to SDG indicators specifically for Kashmir region lacks.

Based on a structured thematic review of 13 documents, including peer-reviewed journal articles, government reports, development publications, and regional institution-specific materials from across Asia and the Pacific published between 2015 and 2025. Findings are mapped onto SDG indicators 5, using qualitative thematic analysis. a.1 (access to economic resources), 5.5.1 (women’s participation in decision-making) b.1 (enabling technology), 8.3.1 (enterprise), 8.5.2 (productive employment) and 8.10.2 (financial inclusion).

They find a quantifiable increase in financial access, visibility of leadership, and digital involvement. Yet structural barriers such as market constraints, uneven digital infrastructure and persistent gender norms remain a moderating force on transformational outcomes. Thus, this study provides an integrated SDG–mapping framework as well as a context-sensitive analytical model for understanding women-led livelihoods in conflict-affected rural economies.