Rural women get behind wheel to supplement income

In these times of hardship, brought on by the pandemic, women’s SHGS (self-help groups) are pushing boundaries to augment their income and at the same time be more useful. They have been making PPE (personal protection equipment) kits, masks, sanitisers, producing sugarcane seeds, nurturing nutrition gardens, etc. They have been doing it under various government schemes including the Grameen Aajeevika Mission.

More than ever, women are getting behind the wheel, on the road to self-reliance.

In this episode of empowering women, the UP Government is providing interest-free loans to women’s SHGS in rural areas for the purchase of four and threewheelers to generate employment under the Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY). “The target under the scheme is to provide a total of 400 vehicles

– goods/passenger carriers, mini four-wheelers and e-rickshaws. And already, under the loan scheme, SHGS across the state have purchased 265 vehicles and have started earning,” said Bhanu Chandra Goswami, managing director, Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission.

What is interesting, many of these vehicles are being used by SHGS to distribute the government’s nutritious food under the nutrition mission and earn money for ferrying the food.

The government had tasked the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM) to find more and more ways and schemes to make women self-reliant in rural areas. Already, for the interest-free loan scheme for the vehicles’ scheme, the Central government has awarded a gold medal to the UPSRLM, a government spokesperson said. So far, nearly Rs 18 crore has been given to members of the selected SHGS under this Aajeevika Gramin Express Yojna. The scheme has a provision to provide a maxim amount of Rs 6.5 lakh wit any interest for a four-w vehicle and a maximum of R lakh for an e-rickshaw. amount is given to the cerned group and when member returns the money scheme is extended to ano applicant SHG member. Bh Chandra Goswami said tha scheme was implemented i blocks of 34 districts and year vehicles will be distrib in 120 blocks of 50 districts.