Date:24/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/24/stories/2008012454600700.htm

Andhra Pradesh

West Bengal Minister lauds A. P. project for the urban poor

HYDERABAD: West Bengal’s Minister in-charge of Municipal Administration and Urban Development Asok Bhattacharya, who is visiting the city, has evinced ‘keen’ interest in the process and practices adopted by the AP Urban Services for the Poor (APUSP). Mr. Bhattacharya, who visited the APUSP office here on Tuesday, noted that its process and practices had resulted in a ‘meaningful interface between the community and urban administration’.

The Minister was apprised of the State Government’s creation of enabling environment for the self-help groups through ‘pavala vaddi’. The institutional loans to SHGs had resulted in a net saving of Rs. 100-200 a month for each family.