Arurur (Tamil Nadu), Mar 5 : Hundreds of women residing in a village in Tamil Nadu have become self-reliant after the launch of numerous self-help groups in the area.

Women residing in Arurur village in Dharmapuri district in the state who have been involved in mat design industry, producing various types of color mats, are earning a good livelihood.

"We are making mats under the scheme organised by the local panchayat (village council). The Government of Tamil Nadu has given two lakh rupees for the development of this business. Lots of people have taken jobs under the scheme. With these self-help groups, we are now earning good income. It is very helpful to us," said Senthamari, one of the women benefited by the project.

These self help-groups have been benefiting more than one hundred thousand women in various villages in the district.

"In our district, we have about 6,500 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) covering about 1,50,000 women. We have 17 NGO''s working with Tamil Nadu women developmental corporation. We have 12,000 SHGs in the form of NGO''s which are not affiliated with the Tamil Nadu women development corporation," said Muthu Meenal, a project officer.

Rural job schemes introduced by the Congress, aimed at tackling the problem of rural unemployment, have also encouraged traditional handicraft industries, like textile weaving and bamboo work.

The schemes have been immensely popular among the people living below the poverty line in villages across Tamil Nadu.

Ahead of the elections, the government is making constant efforts to generate greater awareness among the rural households about their legal right of at least hundred days of employment every year under the scheme. (ANI)