Telangana: Women groups to get Rs 3,700cr loans

Hyderabad: Aiming to the economic empowerment of the women community, the Telangana government has decided to provide Rs 3,700 crore loans to the women groups in the current financial year under Sri Nidhi programme.

Under the scheme, the loans will be provided at the lowest interest rate of 11. 5 per cent. The beneficiaries will be permitted to take up dairy or poultry businesses and also buy electric autos and open small grocery shops in their local areas. The loan assistance would be provided from Rs 5,000 to Rs 3 lakh based on their profession. In the last 8 years, the government extended Rs 14,756 crore loans to the self help groups. The groups also set up laundry, bakery, saloon, carpentry, internet services and other small trade units.

To strengthen the women groups, the government also supplied 632 computers, printers etc as part of their empowerment. Under Sukraskha scheme, the government also provided Rs one lakh insurance to the beneficiaries under Sri Nidhi programme.

Panchayat Raj Minister E Dayakar Rao said that the products from the women groups were high in quality and the demand for them also increased in the market.