KURNOOL : Minister for Lift Irrigation M. Mareppa has asked Zilla Mahila Samakhya leaders to take part in the meetings of District Review Committee, the forum for district-level issues.

Addressing a meeting of women groups and newly trained masons here on Tuesday, the Minister said he would fulfil the formalities for their participation in the DRC meeting slated for April 6. If the Minister in-charge of the district Konatala Ramakrishna failed to turn up at the meeting, an informal review would be taken up.

Mr. Mareppa underscored the need for enlarging the scope of self-help groups which emerged as critical institution from being mere thrift groups.

He called upon women to give top priority to education of their children and those others in rural areas to eradicate illiteracy and child labour.

Education alone would banish backwardness, poverty and superstitions, he said.

Call to SHGs

Earlier, Collector Vikas Raj too offered a bigger role for women groups saying they could form exclusive committees at district level to coordinate their function with the SC Corporation, DRDA, IKP and other critical departments. The panels could offer suggestions for altering the guidelines.

He said SHGs in Kurnool district crossed the stage of saving the money to buy buffaloes or goats but procured grain and entered the wholesale trade. He wanted the groups to supervise the functioning of the Health Department in the remote areas which needed improvement. Also, the groups could play a role in execution of the ongoing irrigation projects by staking their claim as they would soon become land owners.

The Collector and the Minister distributed kits and certificates to the masons who were trained for the massive housing programme under the Indiramma programme.

Project Director of Indira Kranti Patham (IKP) Wilsonbabu explained that 8,000 trained masons were required to complete 85,000 houses in the district.

The National Academy of Construction was requested to train 212 master trainers who in turn would train 8,000 masons at mandal level.

Quality and cost saving were the critical areas in which they were trained.

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