Union ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan— DC File

VIJAYAWADA: Union ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Dr. Pemmasani Chandrasekhar on Thursday stressed on the need to empower women’s self-help groups (SHGs) through financial support, technology, skill development, and wider market access to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat.


Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the National Saras Mela 2026 in Vijayawada, Pemmasani declared that 15,000 women from Andhra Pradesh would receive specialised training over the next 15 days in entrepreneurship, business management, and marketing.

He pointed out that around 3.5 crore women across the country have become Lakhpati Didis against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s target of six crore. Women’s groups have received loans of approximately ₹13 lakh crore, compared to annual credit transactions of around ₹23,000 crore in 2014.

The union minister said Andhra Pradesh’s policy of waiving processing, inspection, and documentation charges on loans of up to ₹20 lakh has helped each DWCRA group save around ₹33,000. Seeing its success, the centre has extended this model to other states. The centre had also introduced the LokOS (Lok Operating System) digital platform to improve transparency and maintain SHG financial records.

At the Saras Mela, which had so far been confined to Delhi, around 1,500 women representatives from different states are showcasing handicrafts, handloom products, and traditional goods.

Training will focus on product quality, packaging, branding, retail partnerships, and online sales
Pemmasani asked public representatives to encourage women to participate in the Saras Mela.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu are committed to making SHG women financially independent.

He said Andhra Pradesh has around 11 lakh SHGs and is among the leading states in developing Lakhpati Didis.
The union minister said the central government would expand marketing of SHG products through She Marts.


Tags: