'Swayam' Model for SHG Women Entrepreneurs Presented

Nellore: A proposal to establish processing and packaging centres for Self-Help Group (SHG) women, aimed at transforming them into micro-entrepreneurs under the Andhra Pradesh government's flagship "One Family – One Entrepreneur" initiative, was presented to officials on Sunday.

Representatives of By Desi and officials of the mission for elimination of poverty in municipal areas (MEPMA) met to discuss the project, which seeks to enable SHG women to move beyond manufacturing and take up processing, branding, packaging, marketing and market linkages as sustainable entrepreneurs.

During the meeting, the By Desi team explained that products marketed under the proposed "Swayam" brand would help create a stable income source for SHG women while ensuring better prices for farmers by promoting value-added local products. They proposed launching the initiative on a pilot basis in Nellore, Guntur and Parvathipuram Manyam districts before expanding it across Andhra Pradesh.

Officials said the initiative has the potential to boost women's economic empowerment, generate rural employment, strengthen value-added agricultural enterprises and contribute to the state's vision of an "Atmanirbhar Andhra Pradesh".

The proposal was reviewed positively during the meeting, with discussions focusing on aligning it with the government's objective of increasing the income of SHG women through entrepreneurship-driven initiatives.

The meeting was attended by municipal commissioner V.O. Nandan, MEPMA Nellore project director M. Kiran Kumar, MEPMA officials, and By Desi representatives Harsha Reddy, Karthik Pattipati and Shanmith.