Government committed to empowering women self-help groups : Narendra Singh Tomar

5 Dariya News

New Delhi 23-Dec-2016

Union Minister for Rural Development Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday said the central government is committed to strengthening women self-help groups (SHGs) in order to eradicate rural poverty and to achieve overall development of village economy.Speaking at a function here to give the first-ever awards to the best performing SHGs and village organisations, Tomar said the government is taking all steps for effective and decentralised marketing of SHG products in the country. "The government will soon announce a scheme to organise the largest ever Haat in Delhi where SHGs can bring in and sell their products at reasonable prices," he said.At present, there are 29 lakh SHGs in the country with a membership of over 3,40,00,000 women as active participants.He said poverty and unemployment are key factors behind migration from rural to urban areas and the government is firm on checking this trend by bringing holistic and inclusive development of the rural economy.Tomar said the Centre is spending Rs 3,000 crore per year for capacity-building programmes of the SHGs and the banks disburse around Rs 30,000 crore as loans to these groups.