Hyderabad, October 11: Expressing concern over the increasing harassment of micro-finance companies on women of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), speakers at a seminar on atrocities of micro-finance companies on women demanded that the state government should ban the companies. They also wanted the state government to extend Pavala Vaddi scheme to all SHGs apart from paying interest subsidy to the banks in advance.
At the meeting organised by the Andhra Pradesh Mahila Samakhya here today, the speakers said that the government should take responsibility and ensure that the banks provide additional loans to women.
They demanded that the government should register criminal cases against such companies which force women to commit suicides apart from paying exgratia of Rs 2 lakh to women who committed suicide due to harassment of micro-finance companies.
The speakers resolved that the failure of banks to provide loans in time of need to SHGs was the reason for micro-finance companies to flourish. They alleged that banks were not providing the required loans to SHGs despite directions from the state government and also the Reserve Bank of India. They felt that only 10 per cent of the loans sanctioned under Pavala Vaddi were being received by the SHGs.
They also wanted the state government to create market for products of the women members of the SHGs.
–Agencies