Sat Mar 08 16:03:21 UTC 2025: ## Telangana CM Unveils Empowering Policy for Women’s Self-Help Groups

**Hyderabad, March 8, 2025** – Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy launched the ‘Indira Mahila Shakti policy –2025’ on International Women’s Day, promising significant support for women’s self-help groups (SHGs) in the state. Addressing nearly 100,000 SHG members, Reddy outlined ambitious plans to boost their economic empowerment.

Key initiatives under the new policy include:

* **Infrastructure Development:** Support for SHGs to establish rice mills and storage godowns in every mandal. Land allocation and financial assistance will be provided.
* **Financial Incentives:** Tax exemptions on SHG products and access to loans for raw material procurement.
* **Renewable Energy:** Government backing for the creation of 1,000 MW of solar power units run by women-led SHGs.
* **Transportation Sector:** Procurement of 1,000 buses to be leased to the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGRTC), generating income for SHG members.
* **Membership Expansion:** Lowering the minimum age for SHG membership from 18 to 15 and raising the upper limit from 60 to 65.

Reddy expressed confidence that the policy will enable one crore women to become crorepatis (millionaires) within a decade, contributing significantly to Telangana’s goal of becoming a $1 trillion economy. He contrasted the current support with the alleged neglect of SHGs under the previous BRS government.

Addressing criticism regarding a recent SLBC tunnel collapse, Reddy accused the opposition BRS of exploiting the incident for political gain. He predicted that Telangana’s SHGs would soon rival corporate businesses in economic impact.

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