Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Ponguru Narayana sanctioned a tractor for a woman underprivileged as part of International Women’s Day celebrations in Nellore on Sunday. Collector Himanshu Shukla is also seen. | Photo credit: BY ARRANGEMENT
Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Ponguru Narayana, while celebrating the ‘International Women’s Day’, envisioned a future where a woman entrepreneur would emerge from every household in the state as a symbol of self-reliance.
At a function in Nellore on Sunday, the Minister distributed financial assistance worth ₹ 1,370 crore to Self Help Group (SHG) women.
On this year’s theme ‘Give profit’, the minister said the concept is to strengthen the hands of a woman to make her home a fortress and thereby strengthen the entire state. He highlighted the government’s decision to remove the cap on the number of children covered under ‘Thalliki Vandanam’ to ensure access to education for every child.
Nellore will soon witness smart streets where women of the Urban Poverty Alleviation Mission (MEPMA) will be able to sell their produce and earn a decent living. These 120 container shops in the first ‘Smart Bazar’ would be given financial assistance of ₹1,000 each through his Narayana Educational Institutions.
Crediting his mother for instilling confidence in him, collector Himanshu Shukla recalled her role in molding him into what he has become today. The multi-faceted roles played by women in today’s society is worth applauding, he said, pointing out that 70% of the district-level officials in Nellore were women.
Deputy MLAs Vemireddy Prashanthi, Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, Joint Collector Venkateswarlu, Mayor D. Sujatha, Municipal Corporation Commissioner Y. Nandan and other officials were present.
Published – March 8, 2026 8:57 PM IST
