SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Hyderabad: Telangana Backwards Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Monday, September 28, inaugurated the Indira Mahila Shakti canteen near Sundarayya Vignana Kendram at Bagh Lingampally in Musheerabad.
Following the inauguration, Prabhakar said the Indira Mahila Shakti canteens, run by women’s self-help groups (SHGs), would strengthen women’s financial independence while providing affordable, quality meals to poor and working-class residents in Hyderabad for Rs 5. He added that the initiative would also create sustainable livelihood opportunities for women.
The minister said the government was providing the required infrastructure and developing the canteens as permanent facilities with all necessary amenities.
He expressed pleasure over the inauguration of the canteen near Sundarayya Vignana Kendram.
He said the Telangana government’s objective was to make women economically self-reliant and urged more women in both rural and urban areas to join self-help groups.
The government has increased the interest-free loan limit for women’s groups from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, he said, adding that it had been paying the interest on such loans for the past three years.
“Apart from canteens, the government is creating livelihood opportunities for women through solar power projects and other initiatives,” he said.
They also launched a programme to provide RTC buses to women’s self-help groups in rural areas, making women owners of 600 buses so far, he added.
Prabhakar said the government was also considering extending the bus ownership programme to women’s groups in urban areas. He directed officials to prepare proposals to identify eligible women’s groups in Hyderabad with 100 per cent repayment capacity for purchasing buses.
He said the government would provide sewing machines and training to BC and minority women to create employment opportunities.
He added that steps were being taken to provide sewing machines and necessary training to women in every constituency.
Prabhakar said the government had decided to provide quality sewing machines equipped with modern technology and urged eligible women to apply by September 30.
‘Several govt programmes to strengthen SHGs’
“Women should not remain confined to the family but should grow as financially independent individuals,” he said, stressing that women’s economic empowerment would strengthen families and lay the foundation for social development.
He said the government was implementing several programmes, including interest-free loans, livelihood opportunities, skill training, sewing machines, canteens and buses, to further strengthen women’s self-help groups.
Prabhakar urged women across Telangana to make use of these opportunities and achieve economic self-reliance.
The minister also inaugurated an egg shop for street vendors to be run through the Indira Mahila Shakti initiative and distributed cheques worth Rs 1.20 crore in interest-free loans to women’s self-help groups. He also distributed school uniforms to students.
Later, Prabhakar inaugurated the foundation works for stormwater drains and cement concrete roads in Ward No. 163 of Bagh Lingampally, a project estimated to cost Rs 1.5 crore.
SOURCE : SIASAT
