Mah govt launches rural women empowerment programme

Mumbai, Aug 17 (UNI) Maharashtra Government today announced introduction of 'Tejaswini Maharashtra rural women empowerment programme' under the International Agriculture development fund.

The cabinet which met here approved the programme, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting.

In view of the success of the Maharashtra rural credit programme, the International Agriculture development Fund has provided Rs 115 crore as loan for a period of eight years through Central and State government.

Mr Deshmukh said the encouraging women's participation in decision making and power, capacity and efficiency and helping them to have independent means of livelihood were among the focus areas of the programme.

Setting up self help groups, provision of micro credit facility were some of the benefits of the programme, Mr Deshmukh added.

The total cost of the programme is Rs 749.32 crore.

Maharashtra government will bear cost of Rs 50.11 crore in eight years. The social justice, tribal development, health, women and child welfare, rural development departments will be implementing the programme.

The women and child welfare ministry will itself spend Rs 16.50 crore. In order to monitor the implementation of the programme, the government will set up monitoring committees at state and district level, he added.

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