THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kudumbashree Mission that was launched for ensuring women’s participation in development by the LDF government in 1997 didn’t get the required support from the UDF governments that ruled the state, said LSG Minister M V Govindan. “The UDF government that followed went ahead with the policy of implementing neo-liberal policies aggressively. They had tried to destroy Kudumbashree,” Govindan alleged in an article dispatched to media on the eve of silver jubilee celebrations of Kudumbashree.
Recalling the process that led to the formation of Kudumbashree, Govindan said, “There were proposals from experts before the government that special focus should be there to eradicate the remaining isles of poverty in the state. There were serious suggestions that women’s participation should be ensured in developmental activities. Imbibing the spirit of those arguments, the LDF government that came to power in 1996 implemented People’s Planning Programme. Soon, Kudumbashree Mission was also launched.”
The minister recalled the day and night protest organised by Kudumbashree workers in front of the secretariat demanding that the agency be accredited as the nodal agency for national livelihood mission during the tenure of Oommen Chandy government.
“The trifurcation of local self-government department at that time had also created hurdles for Kudumbashree, which was placed under the panchayat department. The urban affairs department didn’t give due consideration to the mission while the village development department had taken a non-cooperative stand. They even formed parallel self-help groups at the block level. The UDF government sabotaged several benefits the previous LDF government had granted to Kudumbashree Mission. The interest rate for loans was hiked by two per cent,” he said.