Puttaparthi: Vakati Karuna, IAS, Chief Executive Officer of the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) and Ex-Officio Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh, emphasized the need to transform women into entrepreneurs during a review meeting with Velugu staff of Anantapur and Sri Sathya Sai districts.

The meeting was held at Shadi Mahal, Ganesh Circle, Puttaparthi, on Wednesday.

Addressing the gathering, Karuna urged Velugu staff to actively engage with women self-help groups (SHGs) by attending their meetings regularly and strengthening their participation in decision-making.

She stressed that financial records of SHGs must be maintained accurately, reiterating the principle of “our money, our accounts.”

Highlighting the importance of women’s economic empowerment, Karuna directed staff to identify women entrepreneurs and extend comprehensive support.

She encouraged facilitating access to schemes like PMFME (Prime Minister Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises), PMEGP (Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme), and other loan facilities to help women expand their ventures and move forward with confidence.

The event was attended by SERP Unnathi HD Director Shivashankar Prasad, Sri Sathya Sai DRDA Project Director Narasayya, Anantapur DRDA Project Director Shailaja, along with DPMs, APMs, CCs, and nearly 450 participants from both districts.

The meeting reaffirmed SERP’s commitment to strengthening self-help groups, fostering women-led enterprises, and driving sustainable rural development through women’s entrepreneurship.