Minister for Backward Classes Welfare and Transport Ponnam Prabhakar has said the distribution of fertilizer will be taken up under the aegis of the women self-help groups (SHGs) from the next crop season.
The women SHGs have already been successfully operating the paddy procurement centres across the State, he said while speaking at a function held at Mahila Pranganam at LMD colony in Thimmapur mandal of Karimnagar district on Wednesday evening.
He along with Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) handed over certificates to the trainees at the valedictory ceremony of a vocational training programme in tailoring, beautician, jute bag making and auto driving held at Mahila Pranganam.
The women SHGs proved their mettle by successfully operating about 7,000 paddy procurement centres and they are bound to excel in fertiliser distribution too, he noted.
He said he would bear the expenses of the driving licence fee of 15 women, who have successfully completed the auto driving training at Mahila Pranganam.
Under the Mahalaxmi scheme, women passengers so far took 225 crore free bus rides, thereby saving around ₹ 7,500 crore, he said, adding that plans were afoot to launch 5,000 electric autorickshaws for women in Hyderabad soon.
Ms. Anasuya said the State government has so far provided ₹ 27,000 crore interest-free loans to women SHGs all over the State in pursuit of the ambitious target to empower one crore women to become millionaires. She said an amount of ₹10 crore has been allocated to strengthen all the 10 Mahila Pranganams across the State, which were neglected by the previous BRS government. These centres have now regained past glory buzzing with training programmes for women.
The minister noted that the women SHGs in Narayanpet scripted a success story by earning an income of ₹13 lakh within six months of operating a petrol bunk. Interest-free loans are being provided to women SHGs to operate solar power plants, to lease out buses to the TGSRTC, and other self-employment ventures to help them realise their entrepreneurial potential.
Telangana State Commission for Women (TGSCW) Chairperson Nerella Sharada, Telangana Women Co-operative Development Corporation (TGWCDC) Chairperson B. Shoba Rani, Manakondur MLA Dr Kavvampally Satyanarayana, Karimnagar Collector Pamela Satpathy and others were present.
Published – September 24, 2025 10:24 pm IST
