Women from Muslim community should come forward and start business units like women self help groups by obtaining loans, and achieve economic empowerment, Collector Jayashree Muralidharan has said.
Presiding over a meeting organised by the District Muslim Women Aid Society in Tiruchi on Wednesday, Ms.Jayashree Muralidharan exhorted girls from the Muslim community to come forward in large numbers and get educated.
Stating that education was essential for women for their overall development, the Collector said that in the absence of proper guidance many women from the Muslim community remained backward with no education and employment opportunities.
Financial assistance to the tune of Rs.1.9 crore had been disbursed to the Muslim community members up to December to start business activity, she said.
The members of the women SHGs have been involved in good number in the manufacture of various articles and they have been prompt in the payment of bank loans. Due to this, the banks have been liberal in extending loans to women, she said and urged Muslim women to follow suit for their economic empowerment.
She said that the State government has come forward to provide additional Rs.20 lakhs for the development of Muslim women, if the Muslim Women Aid Society handed over Rs.10 lakh to the government during the current year. This fund could be utilised for providing education and creating job opportunities to the Muslim women.
A cheque for Rs.5 lakh was handed over on behalf of the Society to the Collector as first instalment.
The district backward and minorities welfare officer Kathiresan, A.M.Musthafa Kamal, honorary secretary of the Tiruchi district Muslim Women Aid Society, M.K.M. Usman, joint secretary, A.Mehar Banu, member, and others participated.
