Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday that in the year 2018-2019, the states performance of credit linkage of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the Cooperative Sector is the highest in India. "I am very happy to share with all of you that during 2018-2019, West Bengals performance of credit linkage of Self-Help Groups in the Cooperative Sector is highest in the country. "As per report of NABARD, West Bengal provided credit to 97, 535 Self Help Groups in the Cooperative Sector, leading to huge creation of employment and income generation, mostly among women," Banerjee posted on her Facebook page. The Chief Minister has recently announced a yearly aid of Rs 5,000 for the empowerment of the SHGs in the state. The SHGs registered for a period of one year or more will be entitled to the benefit. The government will spend Rs 500 crore for this purpose. "We are committed to empower and make the poor womenfolk self-reliant both in the urban and rural areas," a senior official of the SHG department said. It may be mentioned that the bank loan disbursed for the SHGs in the state have gone up noticeably during the Trinamool Congress government. The loan amount that was Rs 553 crore in 2010-11 that went up to Rs 7,000 crore in 2018-19. The state government is also providing a subsidy so that the SHGs have to pay only 2 percent of their bank loan. The number of SHGs which was 4.72 lakh in 2010-11 has more than doubled with an emphasis from the Mamata Banerjee government.

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