Women's economic empowerment key to strengthening nation: Rajasthan CM

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched several welfare schemes aimed at ensuring the safety, dignity, and economic empowerment of women, and urged rural women to join self-help groups under the Rajivika programme.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched several welfare schemes aimed at ensuring the safety, dignity, and economic empowerment of women, and urged rural women to join self-help groups under the Rajivika programme. Addressing a 'Gram Vikas Chaupal' programme in Jazod village of Sikar district, Sharma said empowering women economically would strengthen both the state and the country. He said initiatives such as household toilets, LPG connections under the Ujjwala scheme, tap water supply, and Jan-Dhan bank accounts have improved the lives of women across rural India. The chief minister said the Centre had also taken an important step to increase women's representation in Parliament and state assemblies through the Nari Shakti Vandan Act. Referring to state government initiatives, Sharma said women and girls were benefiting from schemes such as Lado Protsahan Yojana, Maa Voucher Yojana and Mukhyamantri Dugdh Utpadak Sambal Yojana. He said women associated with the Rajivika programme were becoming self-reliant and rural women in particular were getting financial support through self-help groups. Sharma said the state government had increased the loan limit under the Lakhpati Didi scheme to Rs 1.5 lakh and reduced the interest rate to 1.5 per cent. During the programme, the chief minister interacted with women linked to self-help groups, who shared their experiences about social and economic changes in their lives after joining Rajivika.