Guwahati:Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday said women empowerment can take the state forward and a silent revolution was taking place in rural areas through Self Help Groups (SHGs) of which 50 per cent are managed by women.
“Women have come out of the confines of their homes and supplementing the income of their families by engaging themselves in economic activities through the SHGs. They are opening bank accounts, availing loans, keeping an account of the transactions and repaying their loans,” Gogoi said at the Annual Stakeholders Meet of SHGs here.
The chief minister said the government had emphasised on women empowerment as their participation in economic activities can only take the state towards progress and prosperity.
Women constitute more than 50 per cent of the population and without their participation in the development process, no society or state can march ahead, he added.
The government’s aim was to raise the income of the people, especially in the rural areas, to raise their living standards so that they can look after their children, send them to schools he said.
The CM said that his government would start the process for filling up 53,000 posts in different departments despite the Centre’s directive to the contrary.
Gogoi announced that the government would initiate several pro-poor schemes, schemes for women, the aged and employment generation .
Minister for Panchayat and Rural Development Rakibul Hussain said that one lakh unemployed rural youth would be selected for a month-long training to be conducted by 21 Project Implementing Agencies in 42 different vocations and the state government would extend loans worth Rs 67 crore to 56,000 beneficiaries. (PTI)