Women empowerment seems to be one of the main agenda’s for the government of Andhra Pradesh.

The much awaited Indira Kranthi Pratham scheme in the state was launched by the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Thursday. Under this scheme the state government will provide Rs 1 lakh crore bank loans to the women in the next five years at a nominal interest rate of three per cent. The government wants to achieve this target by 2013-14.

While addressing a huge gathering of nearly 2 lakh women at Renigunta near Tirupati, Sonia Gandhi said, “You are an example of effectiveness of the groups in Andhra Pradesh. You have evinced a great deal of interest not only in our country, but also abroad. Whenever visitors from abroad come or when I go aboard and meet with leaders, they invariably ask me how they can duplicate the programs of self-help groups in Andhra Pradesh.”

Speaking on this, Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh said that with the help of this scheme, the government aims to lift the financial status of at least one crore women in the state.