Empowering Women in Telangana
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy unveiled an ambitious initiative aimed at assisting women Self Help Groups (SHGs) in establishing rice mills, godowns, and various other facilities. His goal is to empower one crore women to achieve financial independence as ‘crorepatis’. Speaking at a public gathering, he emphasized the government’s commitment to aiding SHGs in procuring paddy, storing it in godowns, and milling it to supply rice to both the government and the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
Supporting Economic Growth through SHGs
CM Reddy highlighted that the fulfillment of the state’s target of reaching a USD one trillion economy is contingent upon the success and growth of SHGs. The state expects membership in these groups to increase from the current 6.5 million to one crore.
Relaxed Membership Norms for Women
To facilitate this expansion, the government has amended its regulations, lowering the minimum age for SHG membership from 18 to 15 years, while also raising the upper age limit from 60 to 65 years. This change aims to encourage more women to join and actively participate in these transformative initiatives.
Innovative Projects for Women SHGs
As part of the initiative to bolster women-led businesses, CM Reddy virtually inaugurated the foundation for solar plant operations managed by these SHGs. Additionally, he launched a novel scheme that provides loans for SHGs to purchase transport buses, which will be leased to the state-run Road Transport Corporation (RTC). This support showcases the government’s dedication to enhancing the livelihood opportunities for women.
Transforming Aspirations into Reality
The CM reiterated that the state government is implementing programs designed to empower female SHG members to become industrialists, particularly in sectors like solar power—areas that have traditionally been dominated by larger capitalists. In a pointed remark directed at former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Reddy declared that the state has moved beyond the BRS government’s overshadowing influence.
He credited former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for the introduction of reservations for women in local governance, and noted that while Indira Gandhi was affectionately referred to as ‘Indiramma’ and N.T. Rama Rao was called ‘Anna’ (elder brother), now women affectionately refer to him as ‘Revanth Anna’, embracing him as a part of their families.
