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Telangana Govt. Boosts Women's Leadership with SHG Elections

Telangana launches SHG elections to strengthen women's leadership with revised rules for fairer contests

Adilabad: The state government has initiated elections for Self-Help Groups (SHGs) at village, mandal, district, and state levels to bolster women's leadership. With 63.86 lakh members statewide, SHGs have become influential in rural communities. Revised bylaws under the APMACS Act of 1995 now bar defaulters and individuals accused of fund misappropriation from contesting Grama Samakya positions, and only candidates with an "A" grade may stand for election.
At the village level, SHG elections will choose a president, secretary, joint secretary, vice-president, and treasurer, while mandal and district elections will select only a president, secretary, and treasurer. The new system replaces the previous practice of hand-raising and aims to reduce political influence and long-term incumbencies.
The Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERF) CEO Divya Devarajan has directed the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) to conduct these elections.
In Adilabad district alone, 1,19,664 members from 1,176 SHGs and 18 Mandal Samakyas will participate. DRDA project manager T. Hemalatha confirmed that elections for 50 per cent of Grama Samakyas were already held before the enforcement of the MLC election code, and further elections will proceed as per higher instructions.
Minister for rural development Danasari Anasuya Seethakka highlighted that under the Indirama Mahila Shakti scheme, SHG members received Rs 20,000 crore in interest-free bank loans to launch 18 types of businesses. She added that the new elections will further empower women by developing their leadership skills, with elected SHG leaders eligible to contest local body elections if they choose to step down from their SHG roles.


( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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