Tamil Nadu has announced 39 cooperative sector initiatives, led by the Rs 7,015 crore Singapengal credit scheme for women. The package seeks to widen financial access, modernise services and deepen women’s participation in the rural economy.
Tamil Nadu Minister V Gandhiraj on Thursday announced 39 initiatives aimed at promoting women’s financial independence and modernising the cooperative sector, with the Singapengal Entrepreneurship Credit Scheme getting an allocation of Rs 7,015 crore. The measures also cover farm credit, cooperative marketing, ration shops and digitisation of services.
Presenting the demand for grants in the Legislative Assembly, the Co-operation Minister said the Singapengal Entrepreneurship Credit Scheme would be implemented through cooperative societies. He said the initiatives were intended to expand access to finance, strengthen cooperative institutions and improve service delivery across the state.
WOMEN’S CREDIT PUSH
To support small and marginal farmers, the government has earmarked Rs 5,000 crore for priority-sector rural business loans at an interest rate of 9 per cent and increased the allocation for produce pledge loans to Rs 300 crore, he said. Gandhiraj also said the government had reintroduced Rs 50 crore in long-term agricultural loans and allocated Rs 10 crore for women’s self-help groups to convert agricultural waste into value-added products such as vermicompost.
To strengthen the market presence of cooperative products and build consumer trust, all such products sold across the state will now carry a common brand logo, Vetri, he said. He added that the Tamil Nadu Co-operative Marketing Federation Limited would expand seed and fertiliser sales to Rs 2,500 crore and procure bio-fertilisers directly from self-help groups. Farm-gate procurement worth Rs 50 crore will be undertaken through 50 cooperative marketing societies to eliminate middlemen in the procurement of key crops such as paddy, turmeric, maize and coconut, he said.
RATION SHOPS GO DIGITAL
Gandhiraj said, ‘To modernise distribution and improve access to services, all Primary Agricultural Cooperative Credit Societies will be upgraded into multi-service hubs, with 3,452 societies receiving micro-ATMs.’ He said UPI payment facilities would be extended to 10,000 additional ration shops, while 100 shops would be converted into multi-purpose retail outlets and 150 would be provided with new buildings. Real-time vehicle tracking will also be introduced to monitor the transportation of essential commodities, while women will be given priority in recruitment to 150 newly created ration shop positions, he said.
