Seethakka urges mass participation in Telangana's women's week celebrations

Hyderabad: Telangana launched its women's week celebrations on Monday, with Minister for Panchayat Raj, Rural Development and Women and Child Welfare Danasari Anasuya Seethakka appealing to women across the state to engage actively in the festivities.

Seethakka, addressing women through a video message released from Praja Bhavan, framed the week-long initiative as a celebration of female empowerment, dignity, and accomplishment. The celebrations are scheduled to run from May 25 to May 30.

The minister highlighted the significant role that women's self-help groups have come to play in strengthening Telangana's rural economy. What started as modest savings schemes, she noted, have evolved into crucial economic drivers for the state.

Under the administration of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Seethakka stated that the government has fundamentally shifted its approach to women's development. Rather than treating women as passive beneficiaries of welfare schemes, the state is actively positioning them as business owners and job creators.

A key government programme offers interest-free loans of up to Rs 10 lakh to women's groups. Seethakka pointed to women's growing participation in diverse economic sectors including food service operations, solar energy projects, embroidery units, and brick manufacturing enterprises.

The government has committed to constructing 8,000 women's buildings across rural Telangana, providing dedicated facilities for meetings and community activities. Seethakka described these structures as spaces that would offer women dignity and proper infrastructure for their collective endeavours.

Over the past two-and-a-half years of governance under the Praja Palana administration, the state has distributed one crore sarees to women. Additionally, the government has facilitated bank linkages totalling more than Rs 60,000 crore for women's self-help groups, significantly expanding access to formal credit.

The minister said these efforts align with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's broader objective of creating one crore women millionaires across the state. She emphasised that empowering women strengthens families and accelerates Telangana's overall development trajectory.

Seethakka announced that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy would hold a direct interaction with members of women's self-help groups at 4 pm on Monday. She called on women throughout Telangana to participate in this engagement and contribute to making the celebrations meaningful and successful.