Live
- Committed to 'Ease of Justice': PM Modi
- Anshula Kapoor shares the various ways grief alters one's brain & heart
- Vice President Radhakrishnan to visit Karnataka tomorrow
- Six civilians killed, five injured in Afghanistan in Pakistani military attack
- NIA raids 12 locations in Bastar; Deputy CM hails it as a blow to Maoist funding
- Fake Chanakya: Cong hits back at HM Shah’s prediction of NDA winning 160 seats in Bihar
- Karnataka Plans Bill to Address Disinformation; No Move to Curb Free Speech, - Priyank Kharge
- Shekhar Kapur weighs in on the term AI Bubble: 'We’re in a Valuation Myth'
- CM Chandrababu Naidu Urges MLAs to prioritise public issues
- Bellingham’s edge is ‘very good thing’ for England, says manager Tuchel
CM wants Araku Coffee to grow like Starbucks
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday expressed his vision for Araku Coffee to attain global recognition like Starbucks.
Vijayawada : Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday expressed his vision for Araku Coffee to attain global recognition like Starbucks. Speaking at an International Women's Day event in Markapuram, the Chief Minister highlighted its growing international reputation and announced plans to establish 100 pilot outlets. He revealed a partnership to expand Araku Coffee centres across villages and major panchayats, urging women to lead the initiative. Beyond coffee, Naidu pledged support for setting up restaurants with international partnerships. He also announced agreements with 24 organisations, expected to generate numerous job opportunities. The Chief Minister inaugurated handloom rathams to promote handloom products, allocating one van per district at a cost of Rs 60 lakh to ease marketing.
He distributed yarn to weave 36 sarees per woman free of cost and launched a program providing 1.5 lakh women with free sewing machines. Additionally, he distributed bank loans worth Rs 645.52 crore to 7,471 urban women, with each receiving Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh.
To boost marketing opportunities, agreements were signed with Flipkart for DWCRA products, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation for agro-based value chains, and the Center for Collective Development for purchasing DWCRA organic products. Another agreement with Gatos Cafe aims to train DWCRA women in small-scale hotel businesses, fostering rural women’s livelihoods.
An MoU with Home Triangle was also signed to enhance livelihood opportunities for 18,515 service providers, offering monthly earnings between Rs 15,000 and Rs 35,000. Training will be provided for electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and beauticians.
In a significant initiative, Naidu handed over 1,000 electric vehicles to women Rapido riders, including 760 e-bikes and 240 e-autos. He also announced the implementation of gratuity benefits for 55,607 Anganwadi workers and 48,909 helpers. Each Anganwadi worker will receive Rs 1.79 lakh to Rs 2.32 lakh, while helpers will get Rs 1.09 lakh to Rs 1.41 lakh.
These initiatives underline the government's commitment to women’s empowerment, employment generation, and rural economic development, he added.
