In order to generate employment and empower rural women, the state government today distributed over Rs 28 crore as loan amongst 2,492 women in 10 blocks of the North-24 Parganas. Incidentally, more than 50 per cent of the beneficiaries around 2,163 are women either from the other backward classes (OBC), Scheduled Caste (SC), Schedule Tribe (ST) and minority communities.
Speaking at the inauguration of the women wool-work cluster programme under the Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (REGP), chief minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said: "We intend to create more jobs whether through agriculture, industry or small and medium-scale industries. Through the self employment generation programmes we hope that these women will lead a respectable life."
Under the present wool-work cluster programme, the state government will provide training to the women and later provide them with the required raw materials. The expenses of knitting the woollens will be borne by the women who can avail loan facilities from the banks.
Source:http://www.thestatesman.net,26-03-08
