Telangana Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the government is introducing Abhaya Hastham public welfare schemes like Mahalakshmi, Gruhajyothi, Indiramma Houses and Mahila Shakti Mission to bring light to the lives of the poor in a way that benefits those who do not have even the minimum amenities.
Under the Mahalakshmi scheme, the first promise implemented immediately after coming to power was free bus travel. Under this scheme, 34 thousand 37 thousand women and girls travel free of cost in RTC buses every day. So far, women in the state have availed 269 lakh 68 lakh free journeys under this scheme, saving nearly ₹ 9,222 crore.
As part of a scheme to relieve women of the burden of cooking gas cylinders, the government is supplying gas cylinders at Rs.500. Through this scheme, women have saved about Rs 752 crore, he said.
The Finance and Power Minister said that under the Gruhajyothi scheme – free electricity up to 200 units to about 53 lakh poor and middle class families – the government has paid Rs 3,954 crore to power utilities and 10.97 crore zero-bills have been issued under the scheme.
Under the Mahila Shakti Mission, the government has decided to make 1 million women in IKP groups in the state millionaires. Mr. Bhatti said he was trying to facilitate bank loans of Rs 1 lakh over five years. Loans to the tune of Rs 57,938 crore have already been disbursed under this.
Under the VLR scheme, an interest subsidy of Rs 1,329 crore has been provided to urban and rural SHGs from December 2023 till date. In the state, the IKP has developed as a strong network of self-help groups with 67 thousand women.
On the business opportunities being created for SHGs, the Telangana Finance Minister said in the budget speech that the government will purchase 600 buses through SHGs and lease them to TGSRTC. In the first phase, the government purchased 494 buses at a cost of 177 million rupees 84 million
To further empower women, the state government is setting up Indira Mahila Shakti Bhavans in 22 more districts in addition to the existing 10 districts, he said.
– N RAVI KUMAR
