CM Chandrababu Naidu Launches Major Welfare and Safety Initiatives for Women
Markapuram, 8 March 2025: On International Women’s Day, the Andhra Pradesh state government has partnered with various organisations and launched several schemes and programmes to promote women’s welfare, empowerment, and safety.
The details are as follows:
1. The government has launched initiatives to support 100,000 women entrepreneurs through opportunities in SERP, MEPMA, and the MSME sectors. A brochure has been released for this.
o 30,000 women will be supported through MEPMA.
o 10,000 women will receive assistance via Rapido.
o 4,000 women will benefit from self-employment schemes.
o 4,000 women will be included in central government-sponsored schemes.
o 4,000 women will be engaged in tourism-related sectors.
o 4,000 women will establish Thrupti Hotels.
o 2,000 women will participate in Smart Streets vending zones.
o 2,000 women will be given livelihood centres under TIDCO.
o An action plan for 2025-26 has been released to employ 10,000 women in the MSME sector.
2. The Chief Minister launched ‘Shakti Teams’ to ensure the safety of women and children. These teams will prevent crimes, provide immediate assistance, and act as a protective shield in public spaces.
3. The Chief Minister launched Handloom Raths (Cheneta Rathalu) to market handloom products. Each district will receive a van worth Rs. 60 lakh. Additionally, free yarn for weaving 36 sarees was distributed to each woman weaver.
4. The Chief Minister launched a programme to distribute 1,50,000 free sewing machines to women. Free tailoring training and sewing machines will be provided.
5. Under the ‘By Women, For Women’ programme, women entrepreneurs used the WOW Genie app to sell over 1,00,000 DWCRA products, generating Rs. 5.13 crore in record sales. This achievement was recognised with a Guinness World Record, which was presented to the Chief Minister.
6. Bank loans worth Rs. 645.52 crore were distributed to 7,471 urban poor women. Each woman received loans ranging from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 2 lakh.
7. Under the Bank Linkage Scheme, Rs. 1,826.43 crore was sanctioned for 1,43,000 rural women, and Rs. 1,000 crore was allocated under the Stree Nidhi scheme. Beneficiaries were provided with cheques.
8. The government partnered with Flipkart to sell DWCRA products. It also signed an agreement with Catalyst Management Services to provide business training for women in agriculture and non-agricultural sectors.
9. An agreement was signed with the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation to support agricultural value chains. The government also partnered with the Centre for Collective Development to purchase organic products from DWCRA groups.
10. The government signed an agreement with Gato’s Café to train DWCRA women in small-scale hotel businesses, creating job opportunities in rural areas.
11. To enhance livelihood opportunities for service providers, the government partnered with Home Triangle. This initiative will benefit 18,515 service providers, including electricians, plumbers, carpenters, beauticians, and home appliance repairers. Monthly net incomes are expected to range between Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 35,000.
12. Through a partnership with Rapido, onboarding fees and monthly charges for women riders will be waived for three months, benefiting them by up to Rs. 30,000. The government has provided 1,000 electric vehicles, including 760 e-bikes and 240 e-autos, for female riders.
13. An agreement was signed with Nature Araku Coffee to expand Araku Coffee into the global market. The first phase includes setting up 100 Araku Coffee outlets, benefiting rural women.
14. The Chief Minister announced a gratuity scheme for 55,607 Anganwadi workers and 48,909 helpers. Workers will receive Rs. 1.79 lakh to Rs. 2.32 lakh, and helpers will get Rs. 1.09 lakh to Rs. 1.41 lakh. This scheme will cost the government Rs. 17.73 crore annually.
15. The long-awaited gratuity scheme for ASHA workers was implemented. ASHA workers who retired or passed away from June 2024 onwards will receive benefits. The government has released Rs. 1.90 crore for this scheme.
16. Under the PM-Vishwakarma scheme, the government sanctioned loans of up to Rs. 1 lakh each for 1,000 women.
