State co-operative minister Harshvardhan Patil has said that the state government is considering a proposal to provide interest free loans to women self-help groups.
Mr Patil was in Sangli on Sunday where he attended a function organised by Sangli Urban Bank in which fruit tree saplings were distributed to self-help groups.
Speaking at the function, Mr Patil said, “The government has implemented a loan waiver scheme for farmers. We also provide crop loans at three percent interest rate. But, self-help groups have not got any such scheme. I had personally demanded to the CM that a zero-interest scheme should be announced for self-help groups. Such a proposal is being prepared by the women and rural development departments and the government will soon announce a policy decision on it.”
He further said that self-help groups play an important role in the rural economy and need to be encouraged. “The recovery of loans given to self-help groups is 100 per cent. They never ask for any concession or loan waiver from the government, while organisations led by men always make such demands. The movement to empower women has gained momentum through self-help groups. These groups have also proved beneficial for the underprivileged and they have been doing a good job. Women can handle finance better,” he said.
Maharashtra has around two lakh self-help groups that train members in a variety of on- and off-farm income-generating activities. There are around 20 lakh women attached to these groups. Not only are they important for improving the rural economy, political parties also look at them as a vote bank.
This is not for the first time that the government is announcing a pre-election sop for self-help groups. In 2009 too, the state government had announced loans for them at a four per cent interest rate.