Agartala, 1 March, 2025: The overall development of the country is impossible without women’s self-reliance and empowerment. With this vision, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has prioritized women’s empowerment. In Tripura, the activities of self-help groups (SHGs) have now turned into a movement. Addressing an event at Agartala Town Hall, Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy highlighted this while inaugurating the Punjab National Bank’s (PNB) Agri Outreach program for women’s empowerment through SHGs. The Finance Minister stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is striving to make India a developed nation by 2047. Currently, India ranks fifth in the global economy. The Punjab National Bank organized this event under the “Prime Minister’s Formation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises” (PMFME) scheme, initiated by the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries. During the event, PNB provided financial support of ₹2.3 crore to 35 women-led self-help groups. Similar programs were organized at 138 locations across the country. Pranajit Singha Roy further mentioned that before 2018, Tripura had only 4,150 self-help groups. By December 2024, this number has surged to 52,355, involving 4.77 lakh members.
Currently, 91,000 women from these groups have become ‘Lakhpati Didis’ (women earning over ₹1 lakh annually). The government aims to encourage more women to join SHGs. Discussing agriculture and farmers’ welfare, the minister stated that agriculture is the backbone of the economy. To strengthen this sector, the Prime Minister has launched the PM Dhan-Dhanya Agriculture Scheme in 100 districts. Previously, the maximum Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loan limit was ₹3 lakh, which has now been increased to ₹5 lakh, benefiting 7.7 crore farmers. Similarly, the PM Mudra Loan limit has been raised from ₹10 lakh to ₹20 lakh. Additionally, the Prime Minister has extended the free food grain scheme for 80 crore people until 2028. Speaking on Tripura’s economic progress, he highlighted that the state’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) and per capita income have improved significantly. The monthly income of farmers in Tripura has nearly doubled from ₹6,550 to around ₹13,000. The event was attended by Punjab National Bank’s MD and CEO Ashok Chandra, RBI GM Surendra Nidar, and NABARD GM Anil S. Kotmere.
The welcome address was delivered by Chittaranjan Pust, Zonal Manager of Punjab National Bank. Also present were Tripura Gramin Bank Chairman Satyendra Singh and TRLM CEO Ajit Shukladas. During the event, the Finance Minister and other dignitaries handed over loan cheques to SHG representatives. A video presentation was showcased on SHGs and the Agri Infrastructure Fund under PNB. The vote of thanks was delivered by PNB Deputy General Manager Rituraj Krishna.
Following the event, the Finance Minister and other officials visited stalls set up by SHGs. Later, at a press conference at Agartala Town Hall, PNB MD and CEO Ashok Chandra announced that the bank had conducted programs on February 6 and 7 at 150 locations across India, focusing on housing loans and the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. During this initiative, loan applications worth ₹10,000 crore for housing and 1,000 applications under the free electricity scheme were received.
