Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka announced that the state is ready to spend as much as needed to help women gain financial independence.
He spoke at an event in Yousufguda, part of the Jubilee Hills area, where he handed out interest-free loans to women’s self-help groups.
Vikramarka emphasized that women no longer need to use high-interest loans from moneylenders. He criticized the previous BRS government for ignoring women’s groups over the past decade.
“In Hyderabad, there are 63 lakh women in self-help groups, with 5,09,957 members in 50,764 groups under GHMC. The government plans to grow these numbers soon,” he said.
Many families rely on women running small businesses to make ends meet. Unfortunately, high-interest loans eat into their earnings. Under Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, the goal is to make one crore women millionaires in five years.
Despite skepticism from some, the government has already given out Rs 21,632 crore in interest-free loans this year, surpassing expectations.
Through MEPMA, Rs 41.51 crore in loans were given to 8,130 women in Jubilee Hills.
The government has also reimbursed over Rs 7,400 crore to TGSRTC for women’s free travel. “Women have made 222.50 crore free bus journeys, saving nearly Rs 7,000 crore,” Vikramarka noted.
Women’s groups are now buying buses to lease to RTC. So far, 150 buses have been leased, with plans for 450 more.
Ministers Seethakka, Ponnam Prabhakar, Vivek Venkataswamy, GHMC Mayor Gadwala Vijayalakshmi, and Congress leaders like Mohammed Azharuddin attended the event.
