Latest news with #SHGs
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Tribal women in Gujarat's South Dang earn ₹35 Lakh through Lakhpati Didi Yojana
In the tribal region of South Dang in Gujarat, 40 women earned a total of ₹35 lakh during the financial year 2023–24 by cultivating 8.5 lakh saplings under the Lakhpati Didi Yojana, officials said. The initiative is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's national goal of creating 2 crore Lakhpati Didis — women earning at least ₹1 lakh annually through self-employment. The South Dang Forest Division has taken the lead in local implementation, partnering with Self Help Groups (SHGs) to engage tribal women in nursery development and afforestation work, they said. The women are trained to raise saplings, handle plantation work, and carry out activities such as seed sowing, watering, pruning, and fertiliser application. The programme ensures payments are transferred directly to the women's bank accounts, making the financial process transparent and immediate. Alongside technical training in nursery practices, the scheme includes education in financial literacy. The forest department has conducted awareness camps to teach women how to manage bank accounts, maintain basic accounts, and plan household budgets. This training has equipped participants with tools to manage their earnings independently, officials said. The 8.5 lakh saplings raised are being used for afforestation across forest ranges in the region. Forest officials say this is contributing to long-term environmental restoration, enhancing forest cover and local biodiversity. 'The approach of linking livelihood creation with ecological activities has created dual benefits: economic support for tribal women and sustainable environmental impact.' The forest department reports that the income received by the 40 women has added stability to their households and supported children's education and family needs. Encouraged by the results in South Dang, officials are assessing the feasibility of replicating this model in other tribal districts. The Lakhpati Didi Yojana continues to be positioned as a rural self-employment scheme with scalable impact, both economically and environmentally.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Bhuvan app boosts revenue through geo-tagging
Hyderabad: Thanks to Bhuvan app, developed by the National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC), which helped in reclassification of properties across municipalities; in just 50 days, the authorities could increase revenue by Rs 404.35 lakhs. The other 50 days of the 100-day Action Plan to reclassify properties after geo-tagging them as per the Bhuvan app will continue from Monday. As many as 5,258 properties were geo-tagged as per Bhuvan app developed by NRSC and 4,536 of them were reclassified from 'residential' to 'commercial', thereby increasing revenue by Rs 404.35 lakhs in the municipalities in the state. The 100-day Action Plan of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department began on June 2 with focus on streamlining urban governance, public health, environmental sustainability, and citizen engagement across Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). The Action Plan will be reaching the halfway mark on Monday. Officials said that remarkable work was done in the municipalities with the participation of officials and citizens. Following reclassification, the property tax was revised for 4,536 residential properties that had been reclassified as commercial as per usage, resulting in an increase of Rs 404.35 lakh revenue from the ULBs. Similarly, commercial and mixed properties without trade licenses were identified and 4,799 trade licences issued, resulting in additional revenue of Rs 101.40 lakh. The official stated that there were several other initiatives like forming over 13,000 new self-help groups and organizing SHG melas in ULBs. About Rs 11.42 lakh revenue was generated through SHGs product melas across the ULBs, Rs 20.44 lakh revenue was generated through sales from street food festivals and over 25,000 beneficiaries (street vendors and their family members) were sanctioned social security schemes. The Commissioner and Director of Municipal Administration TK Sridevi told 'The Hans India' that the key objectives of the Action Plan included enhancing solid waste management and sanitation systems, ensuring monsoon preparedness through critical civic infrastructure improvements, driving behavioural change and community participation through extensive IEC (information education and communication) campaigns on solid waste management, promoting urban greenery and beautification efforts for cleaner cities, conducting a comprehensive Bhuvan Survey for identification of unassessed and under-assessed properties in ULBs and bringing them under the tax net. The CDMA said that over 36,900 citizens participated in rally across 250 km in historic kickoff to 100-Day Action Plan, over 18.37 lakh households were sensitized on source segregation of wastes at home, Rs 706.32 crore loans were disbursed to 5,626 SHGs under bank linkage, 24,708 saplings planted under 'Amrut Mitra – Women for Trees' with active participation of over 10,700 SHG women, lakhs of citizens were part of the rallies and other programmes taken up by the ULBs. The 100-Day Action Plan will be ending on September 10 and the progress is likely to double in the next 50 days.
Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Unclean public toilets upset Trichy's gains
Trichy: Swachh Survekshan 2024-25, the national cleanliness ranking done by the Union govt, has placed Trichy in 49th spot among 95 cities participating in the 'big cities' category (population of 3-10 lakh). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now While Trichy retained the state's cleanest city tag in the category by scoring 8,239 marks, the overall state-level rank based on scores has slipped from '1' in the previous survey to '2' now. Coimbatore, which participated in the million plus population category, secured 8,347 marks and climbed to the top spot. Low scores in cleanliness of public toilets and source segregation of waste were blamed for Trichy's slide. Out of a total 12,500 marks, the survey earmarked 10,000 marks for 10 sections and 54 indicators including visible cleanliness, segregation and transportation of waste, access to sanitation, and citizen feedback. While Trichy scored full marks in remediation of dump sites, cleanliness of residential areas, cleanliness of market areas, and cleanliness of water bodies, the city did not score any marks in cleanliness of public toilets and only 14% marks in source segregation. Door-to-door waste collection has earned 70% marks for the city, despite the civic body outsourcing waste management. Despite scoring high marks in categories such as waste processing where several other participant cities scored low, nil mark secured by Trichy in upkeep of public toilets has helped other cities steal a march over it. Thus far, Trichy remained undisputed leader as state's cleanest city irrespective of the category. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Meanwhile, in the certification category for which 2,500 marks were assigned, Trichy secured ODF++ (Open Defecation Free) certification. This means that all community toilets are functioning and well-maintained, and sewage is not dumped in open drains. In Garbage Free City (GFC) category, which assesses cities for construction and demolition (C&D) waste management, no major TN cities including Trichy and Coimbatore scored marks out of 1,300 marks. Trichy corporation officials have expressed shock at the scores awarded in maintenance of public toilets. The city has around 400 public and community toilets maintained by SHGs. They wondered how the city could get zero in cleanliness of public toilets after being certified as ODF++. "We registered our disappointment for the scores in maintenance of public toilets and sought re-evaluation. Perhaps data could have been wrongly uploaded, we are awaiting a positive response," an official source said.
Hans India
4 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Special plan underway for economic empowerment of women: Seethakka
Hanumakonda: Minister for Panchayat Raj Danasari Anasuya Seethakka stated on Thursday that the government is implementing a special action plan to ensure the economic empowerment of women in the State. At the Indira Mahila Shakti celebrations held at Girijan Bhavan in Mulugu district headquarters, the minister, Bhadrachalam MLA Tellam Venkata Rao, Additional CEO SERP P Katyayani Devi, collector Divakar TS, market committee chairperson Rega Kalyani, and Grandhalaya Samstha chairperson Banoth Ravi Chander participated and distributed interest-free loan cheques, loan insurance, and accident claim cheques. Seethakka said the government is implementing welfare schemes to fulfil the dreams of Indiramma. The event was organised to celebrate the positive changes in women's lives. She said the government has the distinction of distributing about Rs 26,000 crore in bank linkage loans to women's groups and waiving interest on the loans. She emphasised that, beyond government jobs, there are many opportunities for women to succeed in private and business sectors and advised them to make good use of the welfare benefits provided by the government. In the Mulugu geo-jurisdiction there are 9 mandal federations, 330 village organisations, 6,904 SHGs with 69,736 members. Through bank linkages, Rs 249.07 crore in loans were provided in the 2024–25 financial year, and for 2025–26, Rs 54.79 crore was provided to 618 SHGs. Interest-free loans amounting to Rs 884.53 crore were given to members of 5,109 SHGs through banks. In the Mahila Shakti celebrations, interest-free loans of Rs 10.74 crore were distributed to 52,615 members of 5,212 SHGs. The MLA said the government, under the Indira Mahila Shakti programme, is taking various steps with the goal of turning women into millionaires. He stated that interest-free loans, which were neglected by previous governments, have been revived by the government. The collector said the schemes being implemented by the government for women's economic development are being successfully executed in the district. Under the Indiramma Housing Scheme, for women who were sanctioned houses but lacked investment capacity, advance loans of Rs 1 lakh are being provided.
Hans India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Empowering Minds: Gender equality awareness prog held at Nizam College
Hyderabad: The Telangana State Commission for Women, in collaboration with Nizam College, hosted an impactful awareness programme on Gender Equality and Sensitization on Thursday. The event aimed to foster inclusive thinking among students and create a space for open dialogue on gender issues. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, the Chief Guest and alumnus of Nizam College, delivered a keynote emphasizing the role of education in shaping a gender-equal society. He applauded the Commission and Nizam College for their efforts, while highlighting the government's initiatives, such as SHGs, free RTC travel for women, and the Rs 20,000 crore budget allocation for women's welfare. Nerella Sharada, Chairperson of the Telangana State Commission for Women, urged students to become agents of social change. She stressed the importance of respect and non-discrimination in building a truly equal society and reaffirmed that the Commission is accessible to everyone, irrespective of age. The event featured expert sessions by Dr. Farzana Khan on Gender Sensitization and Udaya Rani on Positive Masculinity and Healthy Relationships. Their talks encouraged empathy, respect, and dialogue in everyday interactions. Presiding over the programme, Principal Prof. A.V. Rajashekar reaffirmed Nizam College's commitment to nurturing socially responsible citizens. Senior faculty, Commission members, and a large student gathering attended the event, which concluded with a resounding message: gender equality begins with awareness and grows through education and empowerment.
