Hyderabad: Minister for Women and Child Welfare D. Seethakka, on Saturday said that poverty was the root cause of Naxalism in Telangana. She emphasized the Congress government’s strong focus on empowering women to fight social and economic inequality.
Speaking at a state-level conference at Praja Bhavan for newly elected Mandal Federation Chairpersons, Seethakka explained that in remote areas like Srikakulam, oppressive loan practices by private lenders sparked revolutionary movements. People, she said, could no longer bear the exploitation.
Poverty sparked Naxalism, SHGs hold the solution, says Seethakka
To address this, she credited IAS officer Koppula Raju for starting interest-free loans through women’s self-help groups (SHGs). These groups, she said, help protect vulnerable women from moneylenders. Seethakka added that the Revanth Reddy-led government plans to bring one crore women into SHGs to help them earn and save better.
Moreover, she responded to criticism about the idea of turning women into millionaires. “Many Mandal Federations already manage funds worth crores,” she noted. SHGs, she stressed, repay 99% of their loans on time unlike wealthy defaulters. “Banks now trust Telangana’s women more than they trust people like Lalit Modi,” she said with a jibe.
SHGs grow from village shops to global exports
Seethakka also highlighted that SHGs are no longer limited to small businesses. Today, they run solar power units, rice mills, warehouses, and more. For instance, tribal girls from Adilabad now export ippapuvvu laddus internationally. “This flower has many medicinal qualities, and that’s why we are planting it widely in Mulugu,” she explained.
Expanding women’s markets across Hyderabad
In addition, she announced plans to set up more Indira Mahila Shakti Bazaars across Hyderabad, similar to the one in Hitec City. These markets will offer platforms to showcase rural women’s products to a broader audience. “Our goal is to take local products to global markets,” she said.
Seethakka closed with a strong message: “We are the daughters of this land. If you try to suppress us, we will rise as Adi Shakti.”