Activists condemn Maneka Gandhi's move to scrap women's self help groups scheme

BENGALURU: Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi's move to scrap the women's self help groups scheme has evoked shock and condemnation in Karnataka, the state where the scheme originated through the Stree Shakti programme in 2000-2001.

Stree Shakti has been one of state's shining success stories, empowering poor women and reviving rural economy. Karnataka has 1.40 lakh Stree Shakti Sanghas. They have saved Rs 1,553 crore in bank accounts as of October this year. Nationalised banks have given Rs 2,536 crore as loans to these women's groups, who use it for small-time agriculture, handicrafts manufacture and local schemes.

"Just for the sake of scoring a political point, should a project that has empowered crores of rural women be scrapped," asked C Motamma, who oversaw the implementation of the Stree Shakti project in Karnataka as women and child welfare minister in Krishna government in 2000.

She claimed that rural women had become self-assured and assertive, thanks to programmes like Stree Shakti. "I used to see women with torn sarees and blouses earlier. Please show me one now, in any village of Karnataka," she said. "Maneka Gandhi, being a woman, should understand the implication of this programme and not take such damaging decisions," she told ET.

She claimed Congress had not benefited from the programme. "It empowered the women, not our political party. If we had got any political gains, would I have lost elections."

Women's activist Vimala KS said this move by the Modi government indicated, "achche din has come only for Adani and Ambani, not for the rural poor."

"The self help group women always repay small amounts they borrow, in contrast to big business people like Mallya. They have gained the strength to fight all kinds of injustices through such groups. We strongly condemn any move to scrap them," she said. On Maneka Gandhi's contention that women should walk into a bank and get individual loans, like a man does, Vimala said: "Not even 1 per cent women in the world have property in their name. Will any bank give them a loan without surety?