Cheyutha and Asara together ensure RS 44,000 Cr financial assistance to women: Appalaraju

Amaravati: Government is going to give at least Rs 44,000 cr to the women in the State in the next four years under the YSR Cheyutha and YSR Asara schemes, informed the Minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries S Appalaraju in a press conference on Thursday at Secretariat. He said that the government will give Rs 17,000 cr under Cheyutha and Rs 27,000 through Asara schemes to ensure women empowerment and encourage entrepreneurship among them.

He revealed that the Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has taken a decision to provide the entire four-year benefit to the women under the Cheyutha in a single phase, so as to enhance the utilization capacity.

The Minister explained that the government is encouraging women through these two schemes to become self-employed. As part of that, his ministry also made certain proposals with small business models. He said that they received at least 12.81 lakh applications for granting permission to establish livestock and fisheries units in the State.

In fact, the state government initially planned to give Rs 75,000 to each beneficiary under Cheyutha in four instalments for four years. But, now, the plan changed and decided to provide the total amount in the first year itself. Government is giving Rs 17,000 cr to 23 lakh women, aged between 45 to 60 years under the Cheyutha. The Minister informed me that if the government will give this amount in a phased manner, then the women may spend it on other needs. Hence, the programme changed from four instalments to single instalment, he explained. The State government will give surety for this entire Rs 17,000 cr to the banks and the women need not pay interest on these loans.

Women could utilize the money for livestock purchase, dairy units establishment and other income-generating purposes, he added.