SHGs Will Rent 3,000 Buses To RTC, Says Revanth

Addressing a gathering of women SHG members from across Telangana at the 'Indira Mahila Shakti' programme held at Parade Grounds, Secunderabad, the Chief Minister said that 1,000 buses owned by SHGs had already been rented to TGRTC at a monthly rental of about `70,000 per bus and that another 2,000 buses would be inducted over the next two years.

The Chief Minister flagged off 553 buses owned by SHGs and rented to TGSRTC. The buses were financed by Mandal Mahila Samakhyas (MMSs) and are being operated and maintained by TGRTC. During the event, Revanth Reddy handed over a cheque of `20.34 crore from TGSRTC to the MMSs towards rental charges for the 553 buses. He said each bus was earning a monthly rental of `69,468 for the women's groups and that the total rental amount paid so far for these buses had reached Rs 20.34 crore.

Heavy rains in Hyderabad on Tuesday disrupted normal life and also affected the Chief Minister's schedule. To reach the venue, Revanth Reddy travelled in a TGRTC bus along with Women and child welfare minister Seethakka, and women SHG members.

Referring to the rainfall during the event, the Chief Minister described it as an auspicious sign and said the rain god had blessed the programme soon after the launch of the 553 buses.

The Chief Minister also released a cheque of `500 crore towards interest-free loans for women self-help groups and handed over a cheque representing savings of Rs 10,700 crore accrued to women through the government's free bus travel scheme. He said the Congress government was committed to transforming the lives of women through economic opportunities and financial independence.

Declaring that he was personally taking responsibility for making one crore women "crorepatis", Revanth Reddy said women's participation was crucial for achieving the economic goals set by the Congress government.

"We are undeterred by the conspiracies of the opposition and are striving with the goal of making one crore women crorepatis. I am taking this responsibility for women's economic empowerment. With the blessings of women, we will continue to run this government until 2034," he said.

He maintained that the government's welfare and empowerment initiatives would continue with renewed vigour and expressed confidence that the support of women would help the Congress remain in power until 2034.

Criticising opposition parties, Revanth Reddy alleged that rival parties were conspiring to obstruct the government's efforts to empower women economically. He criticised the previous BRS government for its alleged indifference towards women, pointing out that former chief minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao had not inducted even a single woman into his Cabinet during the first five years of his rule.

He also accused the previous government of failing to disburse interest-free loans to women's self-help groups. In contrast, he said, the Congress government sanctioned zero-interest loans immediately after assuming office.

The Chief Minister also targeted the BJP, stating that the party had never appointed a woman as its national president in its history. He said both the BRS and BJP had failed to demonstrate a genuine commitment to women's empowerment.

Revanth Reddy took a dig at opposition parties for opposing the Mahalakshmi free bus travel scheme for women. He said the opposition had taken to the streets demanding the scheme's withdrawal, but the Congress government continued to implement it despite hurdles. The scheme, he said, had enabled women to save money and pursue higher education and employment opportunities.