HYDERABAD: Panchayat Raj & Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya brought Telangana’s spirit of resilience and empowerment as well as her own journey from a humble Adivasi background to becoming a minister, to a global audience when she delivered a keynote address at the Vital Voices Global Fellowship (VVGF) Summit in the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Speaking on the theme “From Adversities to Empowerment — The Power of Women to Transform Nations”, Anasuya, popularly known as Seethakka, narrated her inspiring journey from a tribal village in the forests of Mulugu to her rise as a key member of the state Cabinet, describing how education and empathy, not violence, can drive real change.
Once part of the Naxalite movement, she later returned to public life, earned multiple degrees, including a PhD, and entered politics to work for social transformation.
During the VVGF Summit, she showcased Telangana’s welfare initiatives through a PowerPoint presentation, highlighting women’s empowerment, rural development and welfare schemes.
She also showed a clipping of TNIE news report on release of Rs 818 crore towards Vaddi Leni Runalu (interest-free scheme). Citing the Indira Mahila Shakti Policy, she explained how self-help groups (SHGs) are running canteens, renting buses to RTC and operating petrol bunks — turning beneficiaries into business owners. Her speech, greeted with applause, resonated with participants from across the world, including Peru’s first woman prime minister Beatriz Merino.