Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) in Telangana which gave buses on lease to Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC), received their first income on Saturday (July 5). The 151 SHGs (Mandal Mahila Samakhyas) received ₹69,468 each, totalling ₹1.05 crore, from Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar at an event held in Hyderabad.
The State government in March gave permission to the Mandal Mahila Samakhyas to procure the buses, each costing ₹36 lakh. Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) provided ₹30 lakh fund per mandal Mahila Samakhyas. The rest ₹6 lakh was from the SHGs’ fund.
The permission was granted for 600 buses. In the first phase, 151 were provided. These buses were provided to TGSRTC on rent. SERP came up with the idea to tap into the rising demand for public transportation in rural parts of Telangana.
K. Lahari, treasurer of Mahbubnagar Mandal Mahila Samakhya, said that their bus is used in the district and they feel proud wherever they see it.
