GANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat government will provide interest-free loans of Rs 1,000 crore to women self- help groups (SHGs) in the state, the legislative Assembly was informed on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said these loans of Rs 1,000 crore would be given to 1 lakh Sakhi Mandals (SHGs), each having 10 women members, under the recently launched Mukhyamantri Mahila Utkarsh Yojana.
“Our target is to reach out to 10 lakh women under this scheme through 1 lakh Sakhi Mandals. This will eventually help improve lives of 50 lakh persons.
“Till now, 367 women groups had been already given zero interest loans,” said Rupani.
He said the scheme would help in making Gujarat prosperous by financially empowering women.
Rupani said the state government had signed MoUs with various banks to provide loans to women groups.
He added that interest on loans will be paid by the state government on behalf of Sakhi Mandals.
“We want to make women self-reliant. We have seen how women borrow money on high interest rates for their small businesses.
“To overcome this issue, we have launched this scheme so that women can earn their livelihood with dignity,” Rupani said in the House.
Source: Press Trust of India
