Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday released Rs 6394.83 crore towards the fourth and final tranche for waiving off the balance loans of women members and self-help groups.
The balance of the loans pertained to 78,94,169 women members and 7,983,395 self-help groups that owed a total of Rs 25,571 crores to various banks in 2019.
In three tranches earlier, the government repaid the self-help groups’ loans to the tune of Rs. 19,176 crore, which was defaulted upon during the rule of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which promised the loan waiver.
Addressing a huge public meeting before releasing the amount with the click of a button here on Tuesday, the Chief Minister said he was happy to fulfil his 2019 election promise of repaying the bank loans of women’s self-help groups that were ditched by TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu.
He said that education quality, an improvement in the literacy rate, and the security of women are the parameters for assessing the social progress of any state, and the government has been focusing on these factors for empowering women.
In the last 56 months, the government has implemented a plethora of welfare schemes in full transparency and without any bias and carried out administrative reforms aiming at the social, economic, and political empowerment of women, he said, adding that no other state in the country has taken up as many welfare programmes as Andhra Pradesh.
The government has so far distributed a whopping Rs. 2,66,772.55 crore through DBT and non-DBT welfare schemes to 5,68,56,709 women, with the DBT welfare component being Rs. 1,81,460.04 crore, besides distributing 31 lakh house site pattas and constructing 22 lakh houses for the poor women.
The government has entered into marketing tie-ups with MNCs like Amul, Hindustran Lever, ITC, P & G, Ajio Reliance, Gramin Vikas Trust, IRMA (Institute of Rural Management, Anand), Ayekart, Kalgudi, and Allana for selling the products of self-help groups, he said.
Aiming at the empowerment of women, the government has so far spent Rs 55,922.44 crore, Rs. 26,067.30 crore, Rs. 14, 129.12 crore, Rs. 11, 901 crore, and Rs 2028.77 crore on social pensions, Amma Vodi, YSR Cheyuta, Vidya Deevena, and Kapu Nestam, respectively, adding it is committed to continuing the welfare schemes for women.
With the implementation of YSR Aasara, 14, 77, and 568 women have launched their own grocery stores, small dairy farms, cloth shops, and goat and sheep breeding centres.
Some of the beneficiaries of YSR Aasara also spoke, thanking the Chief Minister for supporting them with the scheme.
The Chief Minister has sanctioned funds for constructing a new distributor channel and 12 minor tanks to irrigate 75,000 acres, improve drainage facilities in the constituency, establish a girls’ college, and establish a BC residential school in Uravakonda, besides releasing funds for the R&R package for the famers who have given lands for the Jeedipalli reservoir. (ANI)
