Pune, Jul 17 (PTI) Sunanda Sarode (45), a member of a self-help group (SHG) in Maharashtra’s Solapur district, has found new confidence after learning how to write her signature on documents.
She is no longer an `Angthe-bahaddar’ (someone who can not write and hence puts only inked thumb impressions on paper).
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Sarode is among over 700 women from self-help groups in Karmala tehsil who have learned to sign their names while applying for loans, thanks to the ‘Thumbs Down Mission’.
Over 21,000 women are part of some 1,900 SHGs registered under `UMED’ or the Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission in Karmala tehsil.
“Besides making the women from rural areas financially independent and self-reliant, one of the key objectives of UMED is to create awareness about literacy among them so that they gain confidence and self-esteem while dealing with financial matters,” said Manoj Raut, Block Development Officer, Karmala.
The Thumbs Down initiative was Raut’s brainchild.
Officials noticed that many members of women SHGs could not sign documents, he said.
“As we are celebrating 75 years of Independence, we thought women from SHGs should stop using thumb impressions,” Raut told PTI.
“Of 21,843 SHG members in the tehsil, over 4,000 did not know how to write their signatures. Using SHG coordinators and other literate members of these groups, we taught them how to sign their names,” he said.
So far 700 women members have learned to write their signatures. “In the next phase, we will help them learn to read various forms used while applying for loans from the banks,” he said.
“As I did not know how to sign, I had to use the thumb impression while completing loan procedures and it used to take a lot of time, but now I have learned how to write my signature and I feel confident,” said Sarode.
Lata Kadam, another SHG member, shared similar feelings.
Lanka More, one of the coordinators of UMED, helped more than 20 SHG members from Zare village learn to write their signatures.
“These women often saw other women who could read and sign their names, and they would tell me how these literate women complete their procedures so quickly by signing the documents which they themselves could not,” More said.
“Now, these women feel very confident. Their self-esteem has improved,” she said.
Raut said their goal is that every SHG member should be able to sign her name by August 15, the 76th Independence day.
But now that these women are acquiring this new skill, there is a danger that they may sign something they should not sign.
“We have cautioned them that they should not sign anything other than the documents and forms related to their loan applications. They have been asked to use their signatures only in the presence of their coordinators and bank officials,” said Raut.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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