Chhattisgarh SHG women rent out centring plates, concrete mixers for PMAY construction; turn equipment into livelihood
Ambikapur, May 15
Women associated with Self-Help Groups in several villages of Chhattisgarh's Surguja district have turned centring plates and concrete mixer machines into a source of livelihood by renting them out for houses being constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
Officials said the initiative, undertaken under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), locally known as 'Bihan', has not only accelerated housing construction but also contributed to women's empowerment through income generation.
Surguja Zila Panchayat CEO Vinay Kumar Agrawal said nearly 700 self-help groups have been mobilised across the district and provided with construction-related equipment.
"Under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), known locally as 'Bihan', approximately 700 self-help groups have been mobilised across the district. Through these groups, around 1,100 units of centring plates have been made available," Agrawal told ANI.
He further said that 10 self-help groups were provided with concrete mixer machines through the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) fund.
"Ten of these groups have been provided with concrete mixer machines through the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) fund. A grant of approximately Rs 2 lakh was allocated for this purpose, while the remaining amount was invested by the groups themselves. This has led to women's empowerment by giving them livelihoods, along with accelerating the work of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana," he added.
Surguja Collector Ajeet Vasant said the initiative was introduced to address shortages of centring plates during the simultaneous construction of PMAY houses in villages.
"As the construction of multiple Pradhan Mantri Awas homes began simultaneously across villages, sometimes the shortage of centring plates emerged as a challenge. Addressing this issue, self-help groups are facilitated with bank linkages, enabling them to access bank finance and loans to purchase the centring plates and later rent them out for construction," Vasant said.
He added that the initiative had helped speed up construction work while generating income for women-led groups.
"This initiative not only accelerated the speed of construction but also generated income for the self-help groups," he said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good initiative but I hope the district administration is ensuring these women get fair rental rates and timely payments from beneficiaries. Often in such schemes, middlemen eat up the profits. Proper monitoring needed! 🧐
This is a fantastic example of how micro-enterprise can solve practical problems. The women are meeting a real market need while earning income - pure grassroots capitalism! Would love to see this scaled across other districts. Cheers to NRLM Bihan and the Surguja administration. 👏
Love seeing women take charge! 700 SHGs and 1100 centring plates - that's real scale. But I wonder about maintenance of these equipment? Centring plates get damaged over time. Are there any provisions for repair costs or replacement? Hope the long-term planning is there.
Namaste! As someone who works in rural development, I can confirm this is a very smart model. Bank linkage + DMF fund support = sustainable income for women. Dual benefit - PMAY speed bhi badhi aur mahila sashaktikaran bhi hua. Sarkari schemes tabhi successful hoti hain jab ground-level innovation ho. 🙏
Inspiring story! The fact that these women invested their own money along with the DMF grant shows real commitment. This is how you build economic independence - not just giving handouts but creating opportunities. Would love to see a documentary on this!
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