People's Democracy

LF Govt To Strengthen Self-Help Groups Further

THE seventh Left Front government in Bengal has resolved to further resuscitate and augment the burgeoning self-help group (SHG) movement in the state.  Towards that end, a 15-point programme has been chalked up.

Over the past five years, Bengal has witnessed the growth and flourishing of nearly 2.5 lakh of SHGs, and of the nearly a crore of people involved with this movement, 90 per cent are women.  The Bengal Left Front’s Election Manifesto has assured that the number of SHGs would be increased to 10 lakhs in the next five years. 

The programme adopted recently to augment the SHG movement looks as follows:

l Products of SHGs would be marketed through the public distribution system (‘ration’ shops) by the state LF government; the SHGs are already associated with mid-day meals at schools and with the procurement of rice

l Such of SHG products as salt, preserved onion and preserved garlic pastes will be sold under a brand name to be decided upon subsequently

l SHGs would be involved in pisciculture especially in areas of breeding aquarium fishes, as also in the manufacture of toys and dresses

l Training centres would be set up all over the state and run to equip SHG members appropriately

l The training centres will utilise the existing panchayat infrastructure

l The state LF government will purchase such of its required equipment/products that the SHGs manufacture/put together

l Federations comprising SHGs will be set up

l Banks will be in liaison with the state LF government for better coordination with the SHGs

l The LF government will also be in liaison with departmental stores with a request to sell SHG products

l The LF government will call upon private enterprises to purchase SHG products

l Officers will be assigned the task of looking to the interests and needs of the SHGs in urban areas just as it is already being done in the rural stretches

l A permanent fair ground will be set up at Rajarhat near Kolkata where only SHG products will be sold; similar fairs would be held around the districts as well

l Permanent fair grounds would eventually be set at the level of the districts as well

l The state agro-farms will be utilised to impart training to SHG members on such matters as gardening, seeding, and nurturing seedlings

l The department of self employment and SHG will work in close cooperation of animal resources development, rural development, fisheries, forest, and urban development departments with periodical reviews organised

In setting up SHGs, commented chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, priority would be attached to villages that yet lag behind in terms of development.  The Left Front government has already identified 4,612 such villages across Bengal. 

Buddhadeb commented to say that SHGs would also conduct social awareness campaign in the villages of Bengal with emphasis attached to literacy and health awareness. The SHGs would also campaign against superstitious behaviour and build awareness against child marriage.  Departmental minister and AIDWA leader Rekha Goswami would tour Bengal villages in the coming weeks and months to supervise the setting up of new SHGs, added Buddhadeb. (B P)