Rajasthan self-help groups help low-income women with farming, dairy

The Rajasthan government is taking steps to strengthen the financial position of low-income rural women.
 

The Rajasthan Grameen Aajeevika Vikas Parishad (Rajeevika), through innovation, is taking the lead in this. Some of the measures are linking women in self-help groups (SHGs) to organic farming, and setting up a bank for women and milk dairies.
 

Women are also being involved in honey production, making solar energy equipment, online marketing, and training to make digital videos.
 

Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Ramesh Meena said: “(Low-income) women on priority should be linked to organic and improved farming where land and cattle are available.”
 

The minister urged other departments to give priority to purchasing products made by women attached to Rajeevika.
 

He said three million women were affiliated to Rajeevika SHGs, and this was likely to rise to four million by March.
 

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was recently signed between Rajeevika and Stree Nidhi, Telangana, on setting up the bank.
 

In the Budget for 2022-23, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced a bank run by women would be established in the state.
 

A Rajasthan Women Fund is being set up on the lines of the Stree Nidhi model, which has been successfully managed in Telangana.
 

Meena said this would make it easy for women to get loans for their enterprises. This will also reduce the number of loan applications pending with banks.
 

This fund would be managed by and for women of SHGs, he said. It is being set up as a state-level cooperative financial institution through Rajeevika. The fund will start in the six districts of Karauli, Alwar, Kota, Dungarpur, Rajsamand, and Jodhpur, and later expand to 15 in the first year of its implementation.
 

The state government will give a grant of Rs 50 crore in two years (Rs 25 crore in the first year) and a proposal for a grant of Rs 110 crore has been sent to the Central government.
 

Loans up to Rs 40,000 will be disbursed within 48 hours and an amount more than this within 15 days.