Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday handed over 553 buses to women self-help groups under the Mahila Shakti scheme aimed at empowering women. State-owned Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) will hire these buses, and each self-help group will make a monthly income of Rs 70,000.
The buses were handed over at an event held at the Parade Grounds in Secunderabad amid heavy rains. The event was organised as part of women empowerment celebrations under the ‘Praja Palana-Pragati Pranalika’ programme. As part of the Mahila Shakti and Mahalakshmi schemes, the Chief Minister handed over cheques to self-help groups and Mandal Mahila Samakhyas.
He handed over cheques worth Rs 20.34 crore as rent for the buses handed over to TGSRTC, Rs 10,700 crore saved under the free travel scheme, and Rs 500 crore under the interest-free loan scheme. The Chief Minister announced that in the coming days, another 3,000 buses will be handed over to TGSRTC through women’s self-help groups on a rental basis.
CM Revanth Reddy said the government has so far provided Rs 61,000 crore in bank linkages to self-help groups and also paid Rs 2,000 crore to banks under the zero-interest scheme. He declared that they will not rest until a crore of women are turned into crorepatis.
There are currently 67 lakh members in self-help groups in the state. He called for taking this number to one crore and stated that turning these one crore women into millionaires is his responsibility. Stating that women’s role is crucial to achieving the state government's economic goals, he urged the groups to prepare local business plans.
He alleged that the opposition was conspiring to stall the government’s efforts for women’s economic empowerment. “We are undeterred by the conspiracies and striving with a goal of making one crore women crorepatis. I am taking this responsibility for women’s economic empowerment.
With the blessing of women, we will continue to run this government until 2034,” he said. He pointed out that the government is sanctioning houses under the Indiramma scheme in the name of women. Plans are being prepared to build 1 lakh houses in urban areas, which will also be given in women’s names.
He said that by providing free travel facilities for women in RTC buses under the Mahalakshmi scheme, the government has paid over Rs 10,000 crore to RTC. Under the Amma Adarsha Pathashala scheme, the government has handed over the responsibility of managing 27,000 schools to women.
“We have given women the responsibility of managing Mahila Shakti canteens. We are handing over petrol bunks to women. We have instructed collectors to identify government lands in district centres and provide opportunities to set up petrol pumps,” he added.