Chandigarh: The Haryana government has decided to allot 33% of all the future ration depots to women and that the self-help groups (SHGs) applying for the ration depots would be given priority.
Interacting with the beneficiaries of SHGs here on Saturday, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar further said that in case a SHG would apply for contract for fish farming on the panchayat land or in the panchayat pond, it would be given a 10% discount on the auction amount.
Furthermore, he said that 25% of the shops allotted at the bus stands through draws or any other means would be reserved for self-help groups. In the case of auctioned shops, self-help groups would receive a 10% discount on the auction amount.
SHGs will be benefitted hugely
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The chief minister further announced to set up a call center in the office of the Haryana State Rural Livelihood Mission to provide various types of information to beneficiaries belonging to SHGs. He highlighted the growth of self-help groups in the state, stating that while there were only 812 SHGs in the state in 2014, the number had increased to more than 57,000 in the past eight-and-a-half years.
SHGs create vast employment opportunites
Stating that the SHGs had become instrumental in providing social support, Khattar said that by joining the self-help groups, women had not only taken care of their families through self-employment but also created employment opportunities for other women. Therefore, he suggested referring to them as social help groups instead of self-help groups. He said that about six lakh women in the state had demonstrated their strengths through self-help groups.
The chief minister said that 2023 was being celebrated as the ``International Year of Millets'' and urged SHGs to start creating products using coarse cereals. He also recognized their significant contribution in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic by making masks. The government had allocated 144 canteens across the state for operation by self-help groups.
