The society will provide loans to women entrepreneurs as well as vocational training

Kodachadri Women Souharda Cooperative Credit Society, the first all-women society of its kind in the district, has come into existence in Tirthahalli taluk.

Sushma Sanjay H.S., who was elected society president, told presspersons here on Monday that the society had enrolled 2,593 women as members at present and mobilised an amount of Rs. 44.14 lakh as deposit.

The society was registered under the Karnataka Souharda Sahakari Act on February 6. The election for the society was held on February 24. The main objective of the society is to extend loans to women who are interested in taking up dairy farming, sheep rearing, food processing and packaging. It will also extend loans to women entrepreneurs who are interested in setting up handicraft and handloom units.

It will also provide skill-based and vocational training for rural women, she said. President of the Karnataka Cooperative Apex Bank R.M. Manjunatha Gowda, who spoke on the occasion, regretted that over 60 per cent of Indian women did not have access to banking services. He highlighted the need to motivate women to form cooperative societies and self-help groups.

Executive committee members

Farzana Khanum was elected as vice-president. The executive committee members are: Suma Subrahmanya; Renuka Chandrappa; Nirmala Raju; Vinoda Krishnamurthy; Dakamma R.; Achala Hegde; Chethana Srikanth; Shashikala Srinivas; Shashikala Manjunatha Shetty; Padmaja Jois; Pushpalatha Venkatesh; Maithili Satish; and Maitreyi.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Staff Correspondent / Shimoga – March 11th, 2014