Telangana Government Pledges Financial Empowerment for Women

At a meeting in Yousufguda, Jubilee Hills, the Telangana minister for irrigation and civil supplies, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, laid out a bold roadmap to make women in the state financially self-reliant. Speaking at a gathering of Mahila Congress workers, he announced that self-help groups (SHGs) will be given petrol and diesel retail outlets, solar-generation units, and the operation of school-uniform stitching units and low-cost canteens.

He criticised the previous government for allegedly neglecting women’s groups and emphasised that the Congress administration is intervening quickly with interest-free loans and support for 40,000 new white ration cards within the constituency. “This is our focus: turning welfare into enterprise,” Reddy said.
Members of SHGs expressed hope that these opportunities will deepen economic independence. However, activists noted that the success of the plan will depend on sustained training, transparent governance and access to markets.

Telangana’s new policy could become a marker of change in how grassroots women’s groups transition into micro-entrepreneurs. Yet, as one SHG leader remarked, “opportunity is welcome—but only if it becomes reality.”