Chief Minister Raghubar Das today said that the government is committed to reach out to dalit and tribal villages as woman self help groups (WSHGs) will be set up in such villages. Das said nothing tangible is done if three or four towns or cities get a facelift but a formation of WSHGs is set to change the face of rural economy.
The CM was addressing a Division level meet of SHGs and rural representatives in Daltonganj on Thursday when he also announced that the government is going to constitute an authority under Rural Development Department for empowering women.
The CM directed DCs of latehar Garhwa and Palamu to ensure that 36 blocks of the Palamu Division must begin formation of women SHGs. He said that he wants a fleet of 40,000 WSHGs in this Palamu Division, while the State target is of 300,000 WSHGs.
“Over the years I will link women SHGs to many things like nursery raising, toilet construction, agro-husbandry, lift irrigation, fisheries and forestry,” he said. The CM said that the national ratio of loan return is 50 per cent in the villages whereas 95 per cent loans taken by self help groups are returned. “Many women won the election against 33 per cent seats in panchayati raj institutions reserved for them. As per report, their husbands are interfering with their work which is not tolerable. let the women get acquainted with the panchayati raj system,” he said.
Rural Development Minister Nilkanth Singh Munda said that the government has realized the importance of women SHGs and decided to implement developmental works through them. It will increase employment opportunity for people.
Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma said that SHGs are changing the unproductive ambience and developing the society. The Government will focus on each suggestion of the women SHGs and make policies accordingly. She said that cottage industries should be promoted. Women have developed psychologically and skillfully. She said that that the concept of ‘Didi Market’ has come from an SHG where things produced by women SHGs will be sold.
The CS also said that growers in this Palamu Division can go for Turmeric, Ginger, Chili and Beans as Palamu’s beans is a class in its taste and it can be shipped to Kolkata and Varansi. The Chief Minister Das too liked the idea saying, “What my CS has told you about haldiadrak think of that in positive terms.”
For the KhasMahal audience in the women SHGs conference the CM had a special announcement. He said, “By this October 15 the khasmahal issue will be resolved’. The khasmahal land users felt tremendous relief hearing this. The CM also announced that transmission lines will be made intact and Palamu will be supplied with electricity round the clock by 2017.
Health Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi, Palamu MP BD Ram, MlAs Hare Krishna Singh, Alok Chourasia, Food and Civic Supplies Secretary Vinay Kumar Choubey and Panchayati Raj Secretary Vandana Dadel were also present in the conference.