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Rajasthan Govt. planning weekly women’s haat

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Government is considering holding of “women’s haat” once a week at the district headquarters on the lines of farmers’ bazaars for better marketing of handicraft and rural products manufactured by women.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said at a pre-Budget meeting with self-help groups and women’s organisations here over the weekend that women would be associated with the State’s economic development and Budget formulation exercise.

“I will shortly instruct all Collectors to hold women’s haat to provide a broad market to this important segment,” she said.

Ms. Raje said the State Government had taken several steps for women’s welfare and incorporated their suggestions in the Budget during the past three years. While the interest rate in the small-scale industries sector has been reduced by one per cent for women, an independent Women’s Empowerment Department was created in the State last year.

The Chief Minister said the tax-free sale of products manufactured by women’s self-help groups and concession provided in the stamp duty on the purchase of agricultural land by women would go a long way in empowering them and secure an important place for them in the State’s economy.

Representatives of women’s groups made several recommendations for strengthening women’s position in various sectors, such as dairy, small-scale industries, nursing, nutrition and veterinary science.

The participants said the proper arrangment for marketing of products manufactured by women entrepreneurs and sanctioning of loans to them on easy terms would be a significant step towards their empowerment. A suggestion for spending 30 per cent of MPs’ and MLAs’ Local Area Development Fund on the activities relating to women’s development was also made on the occasion.

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