Chennai: A target had been set to form 10,000 new Self Help Groups (SHGs) under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana National Rural Livelihood Mission by allocating Rs 15 crore for building social integration and organizational infrastructure, Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Wednesday.
Presiding over the third State-level meeting of DISHA (District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee under the Union Ministry of Rural Development) at the Secretariat, Stalin said Rs 75 crore has been earmarked as social capital for 5000 SHGs and another Rs 7.50 crore as poverty reduction fund for 3000 village poverty eradication associations.
Also he listed a slew of measures proposed to be taken this year for the benefit of SHGs, adding that 10,00 new SHG members would be provided basic training and motivators and representatives would be trained at a cost of Rs 3.30 crore.
Another Rs 24.96 crore would be spent on providing innovative training on personality development and financial management to administrative staff of 12,287 panchayat level federal structures and 388 regional level federal structures, he said.
Other allocations that the Chief Minister announced at the meeting included Rs 60.27 crore for farm based livelihood activity work and Rs 18.64 crore for non-farm based livelihood activity work in the year 2023-24.
Talking about the economic development of SHGs, he said that 3,528 SHGs had sold their products worth Rs 3.75 crore in 2022-23 through exhibitions and efforts were on to set up 137 kiosks at various places in the State to market the products.
In the last two years, the loan attachment has exceeded the target of Rs 45,000 crore fixed for it by touching Rs 47,034 crore and in 2023-24, till June 30, Rs 5,644 crore out of target of Rs 30,000 crore fixed for the entire year, he said.
He also gave details of the various efforts taken to improve the economic status of SHGs like online marketing initiatives, organizing sellers’ meet and others.
