36 MoUs to be inked on Women’s Day: Ministers

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government will organise grand celebrations for International Women’s Day at the Parade Grounds in Amaravati on March 8, with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to attend as the chief guest.

Announcing the plans, ministers S. Savita and Gummadi Sandhya Rani said the event will focus on creating employment opportunities and promoting entrepreneurship among women. As part of the celebrations, the government will sign 36 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to expand livelihood opportunities for women across the state. The ministers held a preparatory meeting at the state Secretariat in Velagapudi, Amaravati, with officials from the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), the Handlooms and Textiles Department, the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), and the Guntur district administration to finalise arrangements for the event.

Speaking after the meeting, Savita said the government is working to transform women into entrepreneurs through strategic partnerships. Under one such initiative, SERP will sign an agreement with APCO to provide training to DWCRA women for manufacturing laptop bags, carry bags and ready-made garments, enabling them to secure sustainable income.

During the event, the Chief Minister will also inaugurate four NRLM clusters to strengthen women’s self-help group activities. These clusters will be established at Emmiganur (Kurnool district), Chirala (Bapatla district), Rajam (Vizianagaram district), and Ponduru (Srikakulam district).

As part of the programme, 23 exhibition stalls showcasing women-led enterprises will be set up at the venue. The Chief Minister will distribute loan cheques to DWCRA self-help groups and hand over several vehicles to women beneficiaries. These include two millet carts, five egg carts, one Rythu Bazaar van, two Bolero vehicles, five auto-rickshaws, five tractors, and five Rapido two-wheelers. Minister Savita said the coalition government has been giving top priority to women’s welfare, highlighting initiatives such as free bus travel for women, three free LPG cylinders per year, and the Talliki Vandanam scheme.

Senior officials, including Handlooms and Textiles principal secretary R.P. Sisodia, commissioner Rekha Rani, women and child welfare secretary Surya Kumari, CRDA additional commissioner Bhargav Teja, and Guntur district officials attended the meeting.