Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday pledged to transform one crore women into millionaires by 2034, saying women’s empowerment and financial independence remained a key priority of his government.
Addressing a meeting with women members of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), organised on the occasion of his birthday, Revanth Reddy thanked the women for attending the programme despite Deepavali celebrations.
“You are my family and my closest relatives. I have reached this position with the blessings of women. You have given me more than I ever asked for. I have no other aspirations in life except to see one crore women become millionaires,” he said.
The Chief Minister said nearly 70 lakh women were currently members of SHGs and the government aimed to increase the membership to one crore by 2034. He promised to work towards making every member financially independent and a successful entrepreneur.
Highlighting the initiatives taken by his government, Revanth Reddy said women had been entrusted with stitching uniforms for students in government schools, managing Indiramma Canteens in government offices, including the Secretariat, and participating in petrol bunk operations and solar power generation.
He said these initiatives enabled women to generate business worth Rs.15 crore to Rs.20 crore annually through school uniform stitching alone.
The government had extended bank linkage loans worth Rs.79,000 crore to women in the last 34 months, he said, while congratulating Minister Seethakka for her efforts towards women’s empowerment.
Revanth Reddy said the government had sanctioned 4.5 lakh new pensions on the day, including 3.5 lakh for single women and widows. New pensions for weavers and toddy-tappers had also been sanctioned on a saturation basis.
He described the Indiramma housing scheme, 200 units of free electricity and free bus travel as key welfare measures supporting women. Around 37 lakh women were travelling free every day in RTC buses, he said, adding that the government was compensating the corporation to ensure its financial stability.
“Women’s strength is my strength. The blessings of women give me the strength to move forward. I wanted to celebrate my birthday among you,” he said.
The Chief Minister urged women to become entrepreneurs and industrialists, educate their children and ensure that the next generation did not face the hardships they had experienced.
He also asked mothers to promise on his birthday that they would provide their daughters with higher education, assuring them that the government would stand by them.
Taking a dig at BRS working president K T Rama Rao, Revanth Reddy accused him of failing to respect women within his own family while speaking about women’s welfare. He challenged the BRS leaders to explain what they had done for women during their 10 years in power.
He said he had dedicated his birthday to women and would consider his life fulfilled if he could turn one crore women into millionaires during his tenure as Chief Minister.
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