36 Pacts Signed To Boost Economic Self-Reliance of SHG Women
The agreements were signed by the society for elimination of rural poverty and the mission for elimination of poverty in municipal areas in the presence of chief minister Chandrababu Naidu
VIJAYAWADA: In a major push to strengthen economic self-reliance among women in self-help groups (SHGs) in Andhra Pradesh, the government on Sunday helped sign 36 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between various organisations and the state’s rural and urban livelihood missions.
The agreements were signed by the society for elimination of rural poverty and the mission for elimination of poverty in municipal areas in the presence of chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.
The MoUs aim to promote women-led micro-enterprises, strengthen market linkages, expand skill development opportunities and enable better access to finance and technology for SHG members across the state.
Among the key partnerships, MEPMA signed an agreement with the national egg coordination committee to establish 260 egg carts in urban areas, creating micro-enterprise opportunities for women. Another agreement with the Indian School of Business would help develop data-driven credit assessment models for loans availed by SHG women.
To support marketing of products made by women, we partnered with companies like Reconnect Pvt Ltd for retail kiosks and Flipkart to set up digital storefronts for rural entrepreneurs. SERP also agreed with XLRI – Xavier School of Management to provide training and market-scaling support under the Velugu 2.0 programme.
Several MoUs focus on expanding livelihood opportunities in agriculture and allied sectors. Agreements were signed with the national institute of ocean technology, council of scientific and industrial research and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham to train women in seaweed cultivation and value-added product development.
Partnerships with Heifer International and Digital Green Trust would support livestock value chains and provide AI-based advisory services to women farmers and farmer-producer organisations.
The government also signed agreements with financial institutions, including the Central Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank, to extend financial assistance for initiatives such as Araku Coffee outlets, Chai Rasta kiosks and Tirupati Canteens to be managed by SHG women.
Additional collaborations cover diverse sectors, including handloom marketing, millet clusters, food processing, MSME development, community health screening, skill training, and food safety certification. Institutions such as the IIM Visakhapatnam, Centurion University of Technology and Management and the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India would provide training, research support and enterprise development assistance.
Naidu said the agreements aligned with the government’s “One Family – One Entrepreneur” initiative aimed at nurturing women entrepreneurs across rural and urban communities. Partnerships collectively cover sectors such as finance, agriculture, seaweed cultivation, handloom, food services, digital commerce, MSMEs, health services and skill development, creating a broad ecosystem to support women-led enterprises in the stat