Self-help groups (SHGs) in the Kalahandi district received bank loans totaling more than Rs 11 crore as part of the Odisha government's initiative to empower women.
At the Panchayat Samiti office in Bhawanipatna, the district government organised a loan mela to disburse the financial aid to the SHGs under the Mission Shakti department. 501 women's SHGs received a total of Rs 11.23 crore in loans, including 442 SHGs in the Bhawanpatna block and 59 in the municipality.
Puspendra Kumar Singhdeo, the chairman of the Zilla Parishad, spoke at the event and said that thanks to the state government's initiative, women have been able to become financially independent by working on various projects.
He counselled the SHGs to pay off the loan as quickly as possible so that their members may live without being burdened by debt.
With this, a total of 13 blocks in the district's SHGs have now received bank loans. The beneficiaries of the loan received their checks from prominent attendees at the event. At the mela, 136 SHGs received a maximum loan of Rs 2.83 crore from the State Bank of India's main branch.
Sanjukta Behera, the chairwoman of the Bhawaipatna Municipality, Puspanjai Sahu, the block deputy chairman, and BDO Preet Kumar were among those in attendance.
The women SHGs in the district of Narla received bank loans totaling Rs 5.75 crore in another loan mela at the block level. Bank loans of Rs 52.90 crore have already been given to SHGs in the district.
