Release Rs 4K cr interest arrears to SHG women: Bandi Sanjay to government

Hyderabad: State BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Friday requested that the TRS government release Rs 4,000 crore interest arrears due to be paid to Self-Help Group (SHG) women under the Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA) on the occasion of "Raksha Bandhan" festival.

In a letter to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, he said "at a time when womenfolk across the country were celebrating 'Rakhi Pournami' festival with a lot of jubilation, the SHG women belonging to DWCRA in Telangana were in a deep distress due to lack of any State government support.

"In the last eight years of inefficient and indifferent TRS regime, the DWCRA groups were totally paralysed subjecting women members to untold miseries," he pointed out.

Bandi stated that there were 399,120 women SHGs under the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), comprising 43,29,058 members. Under the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA), there were 181,225 members.

"These women groups have been waiting for funds from the State government, but it has not been releasing them on time, resulting in severe distress among them. Many women members had taken bank loans hoping to get interest rebate from the government, but there has been no response from the Centre," he said.

The State BJP president pointed out that the interest arrears rebate to be paid by the government to the women groups under SERP and MEPMA had mounted to nearly Rs 4,000 crore. "Though the State government claimed to have earmarked Rs 3,000 crore towards interest payment to women groups in 2021-22, it has not released it. Similarly, in financial year 2022-23, the government allotted Rs 1,250 crore, but so far, not a penny was released," he stated.

If the women groups do not pay interest to banks on time, they would be under pressure. "Due to indifferent attitude of the State government in releasing the interest arrears on time every month, the bank authorities are declaring SHGs defaulters," Bandi said.

The Karimnagar MP stated that at least on the Rakhi festival day, the government should release Rs 4,000 crore dues to women groups towards interest payments, so that they would celebrate the festival in a happy mood.