D. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Shree Kshetra Dharmasthala, formally inaugurated the 5,001 self-help groups (SHG) at Kotnoor Mutt on the outskirts of Kalaburagi city on Wednesday.
Addressing the inaugural function of Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP), he emphasised on the need for women’s empowerment to provide greater financial support to their families with a goal of poverty alleviation.
The aim of SKDRDP is to create a platform for empowering women through training programmes, Mr.Heggade said. Supervisors and volunteers appointed at each hobli level will help SHG members know the benefits and proper utilisation of various government schemes, besides training them to use advanced agricultural technologies to increase production and generate additional income.
Expressing displeasure over myriad problems in rural parts such as poor wages, distress migration, malnutrition and lack of quality healthcare and education facilities, Mr. Heggade said SHGs will help improve the economic condition of members and instil self-confidence in women.
Bank loans
The SHGs have been linked with banks for micro-financing. Under the SDRDP programme, banks will provide a loan of Rs. 50,000 to each SHG for starting its venture. The funding could increase up to Rs. 3 lakh depending on the performance of the SHG.
Since February, the SKDRDP has set up 5,000 SHGs with 55,300 members in Kalaburagi. Mr. Heggade added that the Rural Development Project had helped over 3.5 lakh SHGs across the State. In the last 30 years, SKDRDP had helped SHGs in getting financial assistance of more than Rs. 5,000 crore to take up self-employment with the help of banks.
Murugharajendra Swami of Mugulkod Jidga Mutt, Basavaraj Patil Sedam,MP, and H.L.Manjunath, SKDRDP executive director, were present.