Chief Minister reiterates commitment to women empowerment
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday flagged off 553 buses for self help groups (SHGs) even as he asserted that Telangana’s economic progress rests
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday flagged off 553 buses for self help groups (SHGs) even as he asserted that Telangana’s economic progress rests in the hands of women, as he reiterated that the government was committed to the empowerment of women in all spheres. The event happened at a packed Parade Grounds with several participants, including members of SHGs, not only in presence but also braving the sudden downpour. The Chief Minister was flanked by Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, Women and Child Welfare Minister Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) and other leaders, as part of the week-long ‘Mahila Shakti’ celebrations.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Reddy cited the contributions of leaders such as Chakali Ailamma, Arutla Kamaladevi and Mallu Swarajyam. He credited the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru for empowering women by right to franchise. He pointed out that the Congress government had initiated several schemes for women. “We regard the earth as Mother Earth, the nation as Bharat Mata, and the state as Telangana Talli,” he said, adding that the previous government did not give a single woman the chance to serve as a Minister during its first five-year term. He said women had excelled in public life as ministers, mayors, municipal chairpersons and corporation heads, and would play a greater role in governance with the implementation of 33% reservation for women.
The Chief Minister said the Congress government had restored interest-free loans to women and continued the free bus travel scheme despite criticism from political opponents. He maintained that women had saved crores through the scheme and were using the facility for education, employment and other purposes. Reddy handed over a cheque of ₹20.34 crore from TGSRTC towards monthly rental payments for the 553 buses to the Mandal Mahila Samakhyas. The payment was calculated at ₹69,468 per bus per month. He also released a ₹500-crore cheque towards interest-free loans for women’s self-help groups. Promising greater economic empowerment, he said the government would eventually enable women to own many more buses and continue working towards making one crore women financially prosperous by 2034.
He remarked that although the India Meteorological Department had predicted El Niño conditions, rains arrived immediately after the buses were launched, describing it as a sign of nature’s blessings on the initiative.
The BriefWire