SHGs ushering in silent revolution by transforming rural socio-economic conditions, says Udhayanidhi Stalin

The Self Help Groups (SHGs) in the State have been making a silent revolution in transforming the socio-economic conditions of women and farmers at the village level and the State Government will continue to extend its full support for their development, said Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Udhayanidhi Stalin here on Monday.

The Self Help Groups (SHGs) in the State have been making a silent revolution in transforming the socio-economic conditions of women and farmers at the village level and the State Government will continue to extend its full support for their development, said Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, Udhayanidhi Stalin here on Monday.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the first buyer-seller meet - 2023 of the Vazhndhu Kattuvom project organised by the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Mr. Udhayanidhi said the SHGs have been making a silent revolution at the village level and many consumers prefer to buy products from them, rather than from an established brand, because of the trust and quality of the products. More than 7.2 lakh SHGs were functioning in the State, benefitting more than 1.6 crore women, he said.

The Minister also promised that the government would focus on training, skill development, and improvising marketing avenues for SHGs and said steps would be taken to organise buyer-seller meets in all the districts in the State. He renamed the one-stop facilitation centres for women as Madhi Siragugal Thozhil Maiyam and unveiled the logo. He also inaugurated an exhibition of various farm products and released a book on the success stories of women entrepreneurs in the Vazhndhu Kattuvom project.

P. Senthil Kumar, Principal Secretary, Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, said the government had set a target of ₹30,000 crore to be distributed through public and private sector banks as loans to the SHGs this year.

S. Divyadharshini, Chief Executive Officer of the Vazhndhu Kattuvom project, said the objective of conducting such a meet was to bridge the gap between buyers and sellers by eliminating the intermediaries, thereby increasing the value of the products. Mr. Udhayanidhi also facilitated three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) between buyers and sellers.

Minister for School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Chief Operating Officer of Vazhndhu Kattuvom project J. E. Padmaja, Tiruchi Collector M. Pradeep Kumar, Corporation Commissioner R. Vaithinathan and MLAs participated in the function.

Earlier, Mr. Udhayanidhi made a surprise visit to Syed Murtaza Higher Secondary School in the city to take stock of the implementation of the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme and had breakfast with the students. He also inspected the infrastructure facilities in the school.