Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday transferred Rs 1,000 crore to the bank accounts of women’s self-help groups in Uttar Pradesh as part of a government scheme that will empower 16 lakh women in the state.
Addressing a first of its kind rally attended by 2 lakh women at Prayagraj, PM Modi said that his government was committed to improving the lives of women and Naari Shakti would play a key role in the development of the nation.
The transfer to women’s self-help groups is being done under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood Mission, with 80,000 SHGs receiving Community Investment Fund of Rs. 1.10 lakh per SHG and 60,000 SHGs receiving Revolving Fund of Rs. 15000 per SHG.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of 202 Supplementary Nutrition Manufacturing Units. These units are being funded by the self-help groups and will be constructed at the cost of approximately Rs. 1 crore for one unit. These units will supply the Supplementary Nutrition under the Integrated Child Development Scheme in 600 blocks of the state.
PM Modi said that farmers would also benefit from the scheme as the self-help groups would buy produce from local farms to prepare the food.
The Prime Minister also interacted with Business Correspondent-Sakhis who will play a major role in disbursing government funds at the village level.
He said he was happy to see the self-confidence of the Sakhis as they were taking a big step forward in delivering services via digital banking.
“Some of these women did not even have a bank account of their own but now they will get the power of digital banking,” the Prime Minister remarked.
PM Modi said these Sakhis will be playing a major role as the UP government would be entrusting them with banking transactions that would eventually add up to a phenomenal Rs 75,000 crore.
Under the new scheme launched by the Prime Minister Rs. 4000 was deposited in the accounts of 20,000 Sakhis. When these Sakhis commence their work as providers of doorstep financial services at grassroot level, they are paid a stipend of Rs. 4000 for six months, so that they get stabilized in their work and then start earning through the commission on transactions.
The Prime Minister also transferred a total amount of over 20 crore to more than 1 lakh beneficiaries under the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Scheme.
The Scheme provides conditional cash transfer to a girl child at different stages of her life. The total transfer is Rs. 15000 per beneficiary. The stages are at birth (Rs. 2000), on completing one year complete vaccination (Rs. 1000), on admission in class–I (Rs. 2000), On admission in class–VI (Rs. 2000), on admission in class-IX (Rs. 3000), on admission in any degree/ diploma course after passing class X or XII (Rs. 5000).
PM Modi said that his government had launched the “Beti Bachao, Beti Parao” to save the girl child and now this new scheme would go further in strengthening their security and giving them an opportunity to progress.
He also said that his government would raise the minimum age for marrying girls from 18 to 21 just as is the case with boys. This would enable the girls to study more and build their careers and remove the social imbalance.
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