Mangaluru: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the rural development activities of Dharmasthala institutions that empower women are fit to be part of govt policy. She was speaking after inaugurating the profit distribution programme for self-help group (SHG) members organised by the Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP), at Dharmasthala on Thursday.
Calling the SKDRDP a lab, the minister said that what has been tested and proven on the ground here is found fit to be part of the government of India's policy. "You were able to test the veracity of a scheme and see whether the scheme actually reaches the beneficiaries. Today, 100 years after India came out of British, Portuguese, French, and Dutch rule, we rule ourselves in our republic. There is a need for better coordination so that farmers get better returns and they need to be supported, and the Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala has been providing it," she said.
"In rural development programmes, the govt and NGOs put money, and small groups of village women contribute a small amount, so that they can do their little activities. It was a welfare measure and women are given self-respect to say that ‘I am earning my own profit'. This empowerment is the tool to remove poverty, giving access to the market, earning some money, and decision-making to earn legitimate profit. That is where the government is investing money in creating a digital public infrastructure aimed at ensuring that even ordinary citizens can benefit from it. They will produce something, showcase it in a digital e-marketplace, and they get payment digitally," the minister said.
"The interface of the government through the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) and SKDRDP coming together to facilitate the rural women. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about women-led development, it is not just women-centric, but rural women lead the development of the village. They identify the projects and facilitation happens through the banks through the government policy. Over the decades, since after Independence, Dharmasthala led by MP D Veerendra Heggade has been pioneering rural development activities, empowering women in villages. The government policy also understands that this method has paved the way for women in village after village getting empowered, and the government adapts it as its own policy," she said.
The minister said the government is setting up three AI centres, one of which will be focusing only on agriculture. "The use of AI can be beneficial for agriculture in a big way, as there are options to test the quality of soil, level of water table, and incorporate all traditional farming systems, through which our farmers can be strengthened. A lot of work is going on to strengthen markets in rural areas and brand their products," she added.
MP and Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade said that out of 55 lakh SHG members under the SKDRDP, 34 lakh are women. Hemavathi V Heggade, Dakshina Kannada MP Brijesh Chowta, MLC Prathap Simha Nayak, Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja, and NABARD chairman Shaji KV were present. Members of the SHG groups received more than Rs 605 crore as profit on the occasion.