Ambikapur (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 15 (ANI): Women associated with Self-Help Groups (SHGs) 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 (PMAY).

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)