Women's Empowerment Central to Telangana Government's Agenda: Deputy CM Bhatti

Hyderabad: Women's empowerment has emerged as a cornerstone initiative for the Telangana government, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka stated on Monday as he joined Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy in inaugurating a landmark project.

The two leaders virtually participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for 8,000 Self-Help Group (SHG) buildings from the Secretariat, marking a significant infrastructure push across the state. The initiative aims to provide dedicated office spaces for women's collectives, addressing longstanding gaps in their operational capacity.

Addressing Ground-Level Challenges

Vikramarka highlighted the practical difficulties women's groups have encountered historically. Before this intervention, SHGs conducted their operations from panchayat offices, private residences, and even open spaces, lacking proper facilities for their activities. The new buildings represent a shift toward providing women with dignified, functional workspaces.

"This is not a government of words, but a government of action," Vikramarka asserted, defending the administration's track record on women-centric programmes against criticism from opposition parties.

Financial Commitments and Loan Schemes

The government has substantially expanded financial support mechanisms for women entrepreneurs. Within two-and-a-half years, Rs. 60,000 crore has been channelled to women through bank linkage schemes, Vikramarka disclosed. The state initially committed to Rs. 1 lakh crore over five years and now projects increasing this to beyond Rs. 1.25 lakh crore in subsequent years.

A recent Government Order has also doubled the interest-free loan ceiling for women's groups from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh, a move facilitated by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Dansari Anasuya Seethakka.

Ambitious Targets and Implementation Framework

The government's overarching objective is to create one crore women millionaires, a goal that has drawn scepticism from opposition leaders. However, Vikramarka stressed that this target is backed by concrete implementation strategies rather than mere rhetoric. Officials have been tasked with establishing measurable targets and execution timelines to realise this vision.

Vikramarka expressed confidence that women participating in SHGs would leverage these opportunities effectively and emerge as exemplars for the nation. The 8,000 buildings project itself is envisioned as a model framework that other states could potentially replicate.