The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Minister assures big role for SHGs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 21, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Others

Minister assures big role for SHGs

Staff Reporter

These women are creating a silent revolution in rural Tamil Nadu: Pollachi V. Jayaraman

POLLACHI: Lauding the role of women self-help groups (SHGs) and improving economic independence of rural women, Food and Cooperation Minister Pollachi V. Jayaraman assured them a big role in various fields in the coming days.

At the 52nd State-level Cooperative Week Celebrations, the Minister distributed welfare assistance to SHGs here on Saturday.

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"The SHGs have changed the role of women in our society. Earlier, rural women confined themselves to domestic and agricultural activities. Now, they produce and market a variety of products, thus generating good income. Irrespective of whether the husband operates a bank account or not, the wife does. This is a silent revolution in rural Tamil Nadu," he said.

Recalling the scenario a decade ago when nationalised banks denied an account for SHGs, Mr. Jayaraman said that only cooperative banks helped the Groups.

Appreciating the SHGs for their prompt repayment, the Minister assured that the banks would provide loans in crores.

On Centre's attempt to highlight their role in supporting SHGs, Mr. Jayaraman said that irrespective of whether it was nationalised banks or cooperative banks, they were run with public money. "In Tamil Nadu, cooperative banks have a deposit of public money to the tune of Rs. 15,000 crores, while the nationalised banks enjoy a deposit of Rs. 1,06,000 crores," he said. Providing loans to buy milch animals and running petty shops is not confined to cooperative banks alone, the nationalised banks were also bound to contribute, he said.

Backward Classes Welfare Minister S.M. Velusamy and Adi-Dravidar Welfare Minister C. Karuppasamy highlighted the construction of buildings for hostels run by their departments. The State topped in SHG activities in terms of the number of women and the ventures they entered into. Animal Husbandry Minister P.V. Dhamodaran distributed identity cards to the farmers of Farmers Protection Scheme.

A mobile Public Call Office was distributed to a handicapped woman from Unjavelampatty near here. The Ministers presented hundred mobile phones to SHGs to increase their market network.

The Registrar of Cooperative Societies R. Kannan; Coimbatore Collector S. Kosalaraman and the Project Officer of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) P. Jayabalakrishnan spoke.

Loans given

Loans and grants to the tune of Rs. 4.54 crores by the Cooperative Banks and DRDA were distributed to the SHGs. Medals and certificates were presented to the best performing cooperative institutions in the State.

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