Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said that along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan as partners, the NDA is working towards the advancement of women.
Emphasis has been laid on strengthening MEPMA and DWCRA groups in view of their significant contribution to the economic growth of the state, Mr. Naidu said while participating in the International Women’s Day (IWD) celebrations near the state secretariat in Guntur district on Sunday.
Mr. Naidu said the theme of this year’s WFD was “Accelerating Action: Rights, Justice and Action” and reflected the commitment of the state and central governments to improve the status of women.
He noted that the state government had three women ministers and they embarked on pioneering work in their respective fields.
The fact that Droupadi Murmu, a tribal woman, was appointed as the president showed that the BJP-led NDA government will not just talk for rhetoric but will keep its promises regarding marginalized sections.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been a shining example of what women are capable of and the recent elevation of Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) Judge Lisa Gill as the Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh augurs well for the state, the Chief Minister noted.
Mr. Naidu said that 33% reservation for women will become a reality sooner than later, giving women a great opportunity to become MLAs. He recalled that decades ago he initiated the formation of the DWCRA and MEPMA groups, saying they had contributed significantly to the economic growth of the state.
The coalition government was implementing several programs for the welfare of women and the same were yielding the desired results, he said. Further, Mr. Naidu said that the TDP-JSP-BJP alliance has promised to turn one million women into entrepreneurs. “So far, 1,12,686 women have started micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), of which 33,899 are in urban areas,” he said.
To promote the activities of DWCRA and MEPMA groups, the government introduced a scheme under which all their products were sold under the brand ‘Swayam’.
These products would become a global brand provided quality standards are strictly followed, he said, while promising to help them market them through various platforms.
The Chief Minister urged women to become digitally literate and adopt modern technologies in their activities, especially in businesses.
On the occasion of MDŽ, Mr. Naidu distributed a check of ₹ 10,100 crore to Self Help Groups (SHGs) for loans under SERP, MEPMA, Stree Nidhi, PMEGP, TRICOR, PM AJAY and PM Vishwakarma schemes.
Senior officials of Society for Eradication of Rural Poverty (SERP) and Mission for Eradication of Poverty in Urban Areas (MEPMA) have signed MoUs with various organizations including National Institute of Ocean Technology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, XLRI, Indian School of Business (ISB) and IIM-Visakhapatnam for support in various areas of SHGs.
Congratulations
The Chief Minister also thanked five women who excelled as entrepreneurs. They were Gowri Sujatha of Anakapalli district (sweets making), Palakurthi Annamma of Prakasam (duck farming), K. Vidya Sri of NTR district (Anganwadi), Sk. Gousiya Begum of Nellore (wooden toys and utensils) and Nelakurthi Meena of Tirupati district (homemade instant food).
Published – March 8, 2026 7:26 PM IST
