VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has instructed officials of the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) and the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) to ensure self-help groups (SHGs) in Andhra Pradesh achieve financial progress in line with the State’s vision of ‘One Family-One Entrepreneur.’
Speaking during a review meeting at the Secretariat on Tuesday, Naidu emphasised the need for strategic interventions to enhance the economic stability of SHG members.
He directed officials to expedite the registration of SHGs as Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), enabling them to access Union government incentives and benefit from various schemes. Setting a bold target, he urged for at least one lakh MSME registrations in the current financial year.
To address the diverse needs of SHGs, the Chief Minister proposed categorising them based on their annual income as Non-lakhpati: groups earning less than Rs 1 lakh per year, Lakhpati: groups earning between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, Micro: groups earning more than Rs 10 lakh, Small: groups earning more than Rs 50 lakh and Medium: groups earning over Rs 1 crore.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the importance of gathering income data from agriculture, industry, and service sectors to analyse their contributions to SHG earnings and tailor-made policies accordingly.
Naidu stressed the need to raise awareness about innovative initiatives like the ‘Drone Didi’ scheme, which aims to empower SHG members through technology, and to provide training on utilising e-commerce platforms effectively. This would open new avenues for income generation and entrepreneurship, he said.
Expressing concern over the lower per capita income of SHG members compared to the State average, the CM underscored the need to focus on boosting their income sources. He directed officials to prioritize SHGs financial stability.