New Delhi (PTI): Making employment generation as the stepping stone towards women's empowerment, the Government on Monday increased the corpus of the women's Self Help Groups to Rs 500 crore from the existing Rs 100 crore.

Presenting the annual budget for the year 2009-2010 in Parliament, Mukherjee said the Government proposes to enroll at least 50 per cent of all rural women in the country as members of SHGs over the next five years and link these SHGs to various banks.

"The women's SHG movement is bringing about a profound transformation in rural areas and today over 22 lakh such groups are linked with banks," he said.

He said that the 'Rashtriya Mahila Kosh' would be raised to Rs 500 crore from the existing Rs 100 crore.

Apart from this, the Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojna is being restructured as the National Livelihood Mission for time-bound poverty eradication.

"Here also stress would be laid on formation of women SHGs," Mr. Mukherjee said.

The Finance Minister also said that the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) will be extended to all children under six in country by March 2012.

Expressing grave concern at the low level of female literacy in the country, Mukherjee said that the aims of the National Mission for Female Literacy would be to reduce by half the current level of female literacy in three years.

"The mission will focus on minorities, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other marginalised groups," he added.

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