Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy announced plans for the establishment of 100 stalls to facilitate the sale of produce by women self-help groups (SHGs) near Shilparamam in Hyderabad within a month. He launched the ‘Telangana Mahila Shakti’ scheme designed to uplift the lives of 63.86 lakh SHG members in the State, transforming them into successful entrepreneurs.
Speaking at a gathering of over one lakh women at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad, the Chief Minister commended the women for their skills in producing various goods and services with government assistance. He expressed the government’s commitment to surpassing the one crore membership mark and ensuring each member achieves prosperity within five years. Mr. Revanth Reddy alleged that the previous government led by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) neglected SHGs thus leading to financial hardships for the women, and pledged to rectify the situation under the new initiative by ensuring interest free loans to all the SHGs. He recalled that the previous Congress government had offered the pavala vaddi (25 paise interest) loans.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said that the government would establish industrial parks for the benefit of SHGs and promised to waive loans in the name of deceased SHG members, supported by a special loan insurance scheme. Additionally, he announced a ₹5 lakh life insurance coverage for all women in SHGs to provide financial security for their families.
Speaker Gaddam Prasad, ministers D. Anasuya, K. Surekha, D. Sridhar Babu, P. Srinivas Reddy, and officials including Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari and others from Panchayat Raj and Rural Development attended the meeting.
