Focus on tech, seize emerging opportunities: CM to women

Visakhapatnam: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced that a dedicated technology park will be established exclusively for women, offering free land and incentives to encourage women entrepreneurship.

The CM said the coalition government is providing enhanced incentives to women entrepreneurs and will facilitate the participation of five women entrepreneurs from Andhra Pradesh at the Davos Summit.

Participating in the ‘Women and Growth Summit-2026: The Next Leap’, organised as part of the CII Partnership Summit, focusing on the theme ‘The Women Who Will Shape the Next Economy: Leadership, Capital, Ambition’ here on Thursday, Chandrababu Naidu said, “Though women secured five positions in the recent corporation elections in AP, we provided opportunities to eight women to serve as Mayors. It is encouraging to see Union financial minister Nirmala Sitharaman steering the country’s economy. Women can achieve great success when given opportunities,” he underlined. The Chief Minister said DWCRA women are repaying 99.6 per cent of loans taken by them. Andhra Pradesh has 1.13 crore women members in Self-Help Groups (SHGs), with a corpus fund of Rs.30,000 crore. These groups are now generating a turnover of nearly Rs.1 lakh crore, the CM said.

“Through the Swayaṁ Andhra brand, we are creating markets for products manufactured by DWCRA women. The Chief Minister said he introduced 33 per cent reservations for women in education and employment. It is encouraging that women account for 50 per cent of representation in local bodies. They are educated, and even Visakhapatnam Mayor is a woman. All political parties must work towards ensuring 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies,” the CM said.

According to a recent survey conducted by O P Jindal University, Andhra Pradesh ranks second after Goa in providing equal opportunities, the Chief Minister said. “My vision is to ensure equal opportunities for everyone and enable progress for all sections of society. Women currently account for 35.8 per cent of the workforce in AP. We aim to increase this to 50 per cent soon,” he added.

Women are making remarkable contributions to natural farming and are imparting extensive training to farmers. Natural farming is currently being practised across 25 lakh acres in AP. The P4 initiative and public-private partnership (PPP) model are benefiting women and enabling them to create wealth.

“At the next CII Partnership Summit, women should account for 50 per cent of participation. We will support both the political and economic empowerment of women. Andhra Pradesh has 54 handloom clusters, many of which are being led by women’s groups,” the CM appreciated.

Former Union minister and founder and chairperson of Alliance for Global Good-Gender Equity and Equality Smriti Irani, representatives of the CII Alliance for Global Good, industrialists and women leaders attended the summit.

Addressing the gathering, Smriti Irani said over the past 12 years, the country has taken a significant lead in how public policy recognises the role of women in national development. “Under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the idea of women-led entrepreneurship has become a national priority.

About 3 crore women have become ‘lakhpathi Didis’. Women’s economic participation cannot be understood through the lens employment and statistics but has to be understood through ownership, time and mobility, access to capital and more importantly, freedom to make her decisions.

Discussions focused on providing women with access to capital, market opportunities, technology, skills and leadership training. CII president-designate Suchitra Ella said women must play a leading role in India’s development and emerge as entrepreneurs, investors and innovators.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rani Devalla

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Rani Devalla is an experienced journalist specialised in a range of beats. From crime to politics, health to human interest, education to defence along with entertainment and feature stories, Rani Devalla, an accomplished writer with a passion for exploring diverse genres, has been reporting for the past 14 years. Serving as Bureau Chief of The Hans India in Visakhapatnam, Rani Devalla contributes to the organisation's editorial department through daily reporting, special stories and feature stories. After completing B.Com, Rani Devalla pursued Masters in Human Resource Management. Prior to joining The Hans India, Rani Devalla worked as a Principal Correspondent with The Hindu Group for six-and-a-half years. With rich expertise, she brings diverse perspectives to her reporting that makes her narratives stand out. When not immersed in writing, the journalist spends time reading, travelling and journaling.

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