OVER 21000 WOMEN'S SELF-HELP GROUPS FORMED UNDER SWAYAMSIDHA
SCHEME
LOK SABHA
Over 21,000 women’s
self-help groups have been formed under the Swayamsidha Scheme
in the last three years.
The Government launched
the Swayamsidha in 2000-01 to be implemented in 650 blocks at
a total cost of Rs. 116.30 crores from 2000-01 to 2005-06. Swayamsidha
is an integrated scheme for women’s empowerment based on formation
of women into self-help Groups and aims at holistic empowerment
of women through thrift, awareness generation, skill development,
economic empowerment and convergence of various schemes. The main
objectives of the scheme are: establishment of self-reliant women’s
Self-Help Groups (SHGs), creation of confidence and awareness
among members of SHGs regarding women’s status, health, nutrition,
education, sanitation and hygiene, legal rights, economic upliftment
and other social, economic and political issues, strengthening
and institutionalizing savings habit in rural women and their
control over economic resources, improving access of women to
micro credit, involvement of women in local level planning and
convergence of services of Department of Women & Child Development
(DWCD) and other Departments.
This information
was given by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development
Smt. Jaskaur Meena in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.
