Plan to increase women self help groups loans to Rs 5 lakh: Mission Shakti Director

JAGATSINGHPUR: Plans are afoot to propose to the State government to distribute interest-free loan of up to Rs 5 lakh each to women self help groups (WSHG) in the State, instead of the present Rs 3 lakh, said Mission Shakti Director cum Commissioner Sujata R Karthikeyan. 

Visiting  Jagatsinghpur on Friday to review the working of WSHGs in the district, She informed that as per cabinet decision in 2019-20, it has been decided to provide variety of works worth Rs 5,000 crore annually to the groups.  

Through Mission Shakti programme, the State government has been providing interest-free loan up to Rs 3 lakh each to WSHGs, which is being proposed to be hiked upto Rs 5 lakh, she said, adding that till date, loan assistance worth Rs 4,000 crore has been given to the women-led producer groups.

During the review meeting, Karthikeyan also interacted with Collector Sangram Keshari Mohapatra, project director of DRDA Sarojkant Mohanty, district social welfare officer Swarna Manjari Nayak, president and secretary of block level federation of SHG and other government officials.

It was found that total 1,338 WSHGs are operating in this district and over 2.17 lakh women have benefited from the scheme. 

She said the government has decided to provide Rs 50 lakh to each SHG federation in a block for construction of special mission Shakti Griha.