Indira Shakthi Bhavans to dot 22 districts in TG

Hyderabad: All the districts in the State will now have Indira Mahila Shakthi Bhavans, which will be a hub of various activities like training centres, marketing of SHG products, common work sheds, venues of exhibitions, SARAS melas, and other livelihood activities. The government has sanctioned Rs 110 crore for construction of the bhavans in 22 districts, said an official.

The government had brought the Indira Mahila Shakthi policy to empower the SHGs across the State through different livelihood activities. According to officials, Telangana has a large network of vibrant women SHGs in both rural and urban areas with more than 63 lakh members.

This large network of women with an established eco-system of financial inclusion is a huge strength for the State. The government is envisaging a shift in the development paradigm of the SHG movement by moving from thrift and bank linkage to making the groups centres of economic empowerment through livelihood initiatives and wealth creation.

Towards strengthening SHGs further, the government has decided to take up construction of office-cum-training buildings for the zilla samakhyas at the district headquarters, under the name ‘Indira Mahila Shakthi Bhavan’. These bhavans will be the district-level hubs for various SHG activities.

The Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) CEO has reported that only 10 district headquarters have buildings and there was a need for buildings in 22 districts. He proposed to the government issuing necessary orders according to administrative sanction and allocation of funds for the construction of bhavans in 22 districts. The districts include Medchal-Malkajgiri, Mancherial, Rajanna Sircilla, Hanamkonda, Kamareddy, Nizamabad, Mulugu, Narayanpet, Jagtial, Jayashankar-Bhupalapally, Wanaparthy, Medak, Suryapet, Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri, Nagarkurnool, Nirmal, Mahabubabad, Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Jangaon, Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, Peddapally, and Jogulamba-Gadwal.