The Peruvayal grama panchayat, in collaboration with the district Kudumbasree mission, has launched a project aimed at economically empowering women by providing them subsidised bank loans for developing small-scale goat-farming units.
The project titled ‘Aadu Gramam’ (goat village) is eliciting good response, Anakkuzhikkara ward councillor and panchyat vice-president P.K. Sharafudheen says.
As per the scheme, a group comprising five members will be constituted under a president and secretary.Collective responsibility
Though the goats will be handed over to individual members, the group will have a collective responsibility to ensure that each member repays the loan on time.
“We have already identified ten such groups and members of seven groups have received loans and purchased the goats,” A.P. Reena, chairperson of the Community Development Society (CDS), through which the scheme is being implemented, says.
Each member beneficiary will get Rs.30,000 as bank loan from the Peruvayal unit of the Kerala Gramin Bank to purchase goats and set up basic infrastructure, including a wooden enclosure for housing the goats.
Subsidy
“Fifty per cent of the loan will be given as subsidy by the panchayat while the members will have to repay the remaining amount in instalments,” Ms. Reena says.
Each member can purchase five young goats and each group will have at least 25. “As many as 50 Kudumbasree members will benefit from the scheme in the initial phase,” Ms. Reena says.
Rs.7 lakh
The panchayat has already set aside Rs.7 lakh for the project. Out of this, Rs.5 lakhs is given by the Kudumbasree Mission while the rest is from the panchayat’s fund.
The local body had organised a training programme for the women on how to rear the animals.
“They had also been given an opportunity to visit goat farms under small groups of women entrepreneurs at Kavilumpara panchayat in the district,” says Ms. Reena.
She adds that the imitative will take the members a long way towards ensuring economic stability and developing entrepreneurial skills.
