BHUBANESWAR: In yet another move to consolidate the women vote bank for the upcoming elections, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday announced to hike the interest-free loan amount to Rs 10 lakh for self-help groups (SHGs) under the Mission Shakti programme. Earlier, they could avail interest-free loans up to Rs 5 lakh.
Inaugurating the Mission Shakti Bazaar here, Naveen said as many as 5,000 Mission Shakti Bazaars will be set up in the state in the next five years, which will facilitate marketing of the products produced by the Mission Shakti SHGs of the state.
The chief minister further announced that Rs 730 crore will be given to 70 lakh women SHG members and 1.5 lakh Mission Shakti leaders for purchase of uniforms and blazers. He said `145 crore was deposited as interest subvention directly in bank accounts of more than 2.75 lakh SHGs and Rs 925 crore in the last five years.
Naveen said this year, the SHG members of Mission Shakti have received a loan of Rs 15,000 crore and in the next 5 years, they will be provided with loans worth Rs 75,000 crore.
“The state government is always working for the development of women. Members of Mission Shakti are associated with the making of a new Odisha and they are partners of the transformed Odisha. The SHGs have now become small and medium enterprises,” he said.
Commissioner-cum-secretary, Mission Shakti, Sujata Raut Karthikeyan said the interest-free loan system has strengthened the hands of mothers and empowered them financially.
Over 1,000 products including brooms, sarees, cane work sofas, household items, millet products, Pattachitra, Kandhamal turmeric etc., produced by the Mission Shakti members will be available in the bazaar.