Uttam urges TS govt to release pending funds of women SHGs

Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday alleged that the State government owes nearly Rs 4,250 crore to Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) in the State and demanded that the government immediately release the funds.

He alleged that the government did not pay a single rupee towards the interest on loans taken by Woman SHGs under Vaddi Leni Runalu (VLR) after K Chandrashekhar Rao became the Chief Minister for the second time in 2018.

Addressing media persons here, the former TPCC president said government did not release Rs 2,200 crore towards interest of 3.85 lakh SHGs in rural areas and Rs 750 crore to 1.52 lakh SHGs in urban areas. “In total, the government owed about Rs 3,000 crore to the SHGs in the State under VLR scheme,” he said.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the government owed Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 of interest each to 66 lakh members of



SHGs in the State. On top of it, the government retained Rs 1,256 crore premium being paid by the SHGs towards insurance under Abhaya Hastam scheme. He also accused the State government of not paying exgratia under Abhaya Hastam scheme to the deceased members of SHGs. He said that under Abhaya Hastam scheme, government has to pay Rs 25,000 in case of natural death and Rs 75,000 in case of accidental death within 24 hours.

He said the government released Rs 54 crore to SHGs in Huzurabad Assembly constituency as by-polls were scheduled to be held shortly in the constituency.

Meanwhile, former MP V Hanumantha Rao demanded that the government to install Dr BR Ambedkar’s statue at Panjagutta at the earliest. Despite, several requests, the State government was not taking any step to install the statue, he said.