Hyderabad, January 28: The Telangana government has announced plans to refund contributions made by women’s self-help groups under the ‘Abhaya Hastham’ scheme between 2009 and 2016. The Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) is collaborating with the government to prepare a village-wise list of beneficiaries to facilitate the refund process.
The ‘Abhaya Hastham’ scheme was introduced in 2009 by the then Congress government to economically empower women. Under this scheme, each member of a self-help group contributed an annual premium of Rs. 365, with the government matching the amount. The scheme aimed to provide a monthly pension of Rs. 500 to members upon reaching 60 years of age. Additionally, it offered Rs. 1,200 annually for the education of members’ children and insurance benefits ranging from Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 75,000 in cases of death or disability.
Following the formation of the BRS government, the ‘Abhaya Hastham’ scheme was discontinued, and the contributions remained unrefunded. With the Congress party now back in power, the government has decided to release approximately Rs. 425 crore to refund the contributions to the women’s bank accounts.
This move is expected to benefit numerous women across the state, providing them with financial support and recognizing their contributions to the scheme.
