Finance Minister K.M. Mani, in his State Budget for 2013-14, has said that women’s self-help groups will be given an interest-free loan of up to Rs.25 lakh to collect and process plastic waste.
The funds will be allocated to these groups via local bodies and the units set up by them will be responsible for recycling plastic waste and converting them into granules so as to use it as road-tarring material. However, social activist Magleen Peter believes that this scheme, which is being heralded by Mr. Mani as one of the novel schemes directed towards women’s empowerment, will hardly make an impact.
Mahila Congress State unit president Bindu Krishna also voices her disappointment regarding the lack of women-centric schemes. Nirbhaya fund will get diluted when it reaches the State, she says.
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