Rs 10 lakh structures to boost self-employment, leadership and grassroots decision-making
Hyderabad: The government on Wednesday announced the construction of exclusive buildings for women's self-help group (SHG) federations at the village level. The move is intended to enable the women’s collectives to function more effectively as centres of self-employment, decision-making and community leadership.
Women and Child Welfare Minister Danasari ‘Seethakka’ Anasuya said the department had issued detailed guidelines for the construction of SHG federation buildings in villages.
Each village will be eligible for the construction of a women’s building at an estimated cost of up to Rs 10 lakh. The structures will be built on government land identified at the village level, covering around 200 square yards, with a minimum built-up area of 552 square feet. The government said a standard design has been prepared to ensure functional and uniform infrastructure across villages.
The decision follows long-standing representations from SHGs and village organisations, who have been seeking permanent spaces for meetings, training programmes, livelihood planning and coordination of welfare activities. The absence of dedicated buildings had often forced women’s groups to depend on temporary or inadequate facilities, limiting their operational efficiency.
Seethakka said the SHG federation buildings would be constructed in a phased manner in all villages.
As per the guidelines, proposals for construction must be approved through gram sabha resolutions and forwarded through mandal and district-level channels, with final clearance from the district collector.
Construction work will be carried out under the supervision of panchayati raj engineering staff. Since the works will be taken up using employment guarantee funds, a social audit has been made mandatory. The government has directed that social audits be completed within six months of the completion of construction.
