Zero-interest loans scrapped deceiving DWCRA women

Visakhapatnam, September 29:  YSR Congress Party Women’s Wing President and MLC Varudu Kalyani slammed the Chandrababu Naidu–led coalition government for abolishing the zero-interest loan scheme and deceiving DWCRA women. She said in just 15 months, the government has turned hostile to women by dismantling every welfare scheme.
She pointed out that under YSR Jagan’s leadership, Rs. 4,969 crore was deposited into DWCRA accounts, reviving self-help groups and empowering women. “But in 15 months, Naidu has not released a single rupee. Instead, he scrapped zero-interest loans and introduced quarter-interest education loans. This is a betrayal,” she declared.
Kalyani accused Naidu of hypocrisy: “He promised to increase SHG loans up to Rs. 10 lakh and revive festival and marriage support, but now he targets the very women who believed him. He spends crores on private flights but denies funds for poor women.”
She listed the government’s failures:
    •    Zero-interest scheme abolished, DWCRA women betrayed.
    •    Fee reimbursement arrears of Rs. 6,000 crore, leaving students out of education.
    •    Amma Vodi, Vidya Deevena, Thalliki Vandanam diluted, crores unpaid.
    •    Girl child support (Rs. 1,500/month) abandoned.
    •    No unemployment allowance – despite women forming half the unemployed.
    •    Pensions cut, Deepam LPG subsidy denied to 55 lakh women.
    •    No marriage assistance, no industrial support for women entrepreneurs.

“Unemployment among women has hit 28.5%. Instead of supporting them, Naidu is punishing them,” she said.
Kalyani warned that Chandrababu Naidu has a history of deceiving women, from the 2014 DWCRA loan waiver to today’s Rs. 2,000 crore dues. She demanded the immediate restoration of the zero-interest scheme and release of arrears. “If this vindictive approach continues, women of Andhra Pradesh will teach Naidu a lesson he cannot forget,” she asserted.