Poll-bound Panchayat Raj gets whopping Rs 31.6K cr allocation

Hyderabad: Keeping in view the local body elections in the state in the later half of the year, the State government has allocated a whooping Rs 31,605 crore for the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development department in the budget presented on Wednesday.

The important allocations in the department include Rs 14,861 crore for employee pensions, Rs 6,000 crore for the payment of Mission Bhagiratha dues, Rs 2,062 crore for State Finance Commission Grants, Rs 600 crore for Indiramma Atmiya Bharosa, Rs 1,511 crore for interest to women’s associations, Rs 1,220 crore for construction and maintenance of rural roads, Rs 200 crore for construction of rural roads under HAM scheme.

Finance Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu said that believing that ‘Women’s power is the nation’s power’, the government launched the Indira Mahila Shakti Mission, which has marked the beginning of a new era for women’s empowerment in Telangana. The government set a target of providing Rs 20,000 crore in interest-free loans under this scheme.

“Not only did we meet this goal, but we also exceeded it by providing Rs 21,632 crore in interest-free loans to Self-Help Groups (SHGs). As a result, 2.25 lakh micro enterprises were established, creating large-scale employment opportunities for women,” he said.

The Minister said that the government started 214 Indira Mahila Shakti Canteens. The government had allocated Rs 110 crore to establish 22 Indira Mahila Shakti Buildings, which would serve as business centres for SHGs, playing a crucial role in helping women expand their businesses. The government has entrusted Self-Help Groups (SHGs) with the responsibility of stitching school uniforms, increasing the stitching charges to Rs 75 per uniform. To date, SHGs have earned approximately Rs 28 crore by stitching 37.5 million uniforms, significantly boosting self-employment opportunities for women. Additionally, under the Amma Adarsha School programme, 23,701 infrastructure projects worth Rs 634 crore have been allocated to SHGs, further empowering them economically.

The paddy procured at IKP centres will be processed in these mills, and the responsibility of supplying it to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) will be entrusted to women’s self-help groups.

Under the loan insurance scheme, each self-help group (SHG) member is provided with Rs 2 lakh natural death insurance and Rs 10 lakh accident insurance. The government’s objective is to provide financial protection to self-help group members through this initiative.