HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday said the state government is in advanced talks with Amazon to secure a national and international online market for products crafted by Self-Help Groups (SHGs).
The move, he said, is aimed at increasing income, scaling up women-led enterprises, and positioning Telangana’s SHG network on the global e-commerce map.
The chief minister made the announcement while interacting with women’s groups via video-conference from the Secretariat on the occasion of former prime minister Indira Gandhi’s birth anniversary.
Revanth directed district collectors to appoint a special officer for each Assembly constituency to oversee the large-scale distribution of sarees under the “Mahila Unnati – Telangana Pragati” programme. He stressed that the initiative should be celebrated in a festive atmosphere across all mandal headquarters. MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other public representatives must be invited to participate, he said.
He said sarees for all rural women aged 18 and above must be distributed between November 19 and December 9, with 65 lakh sarees having already been made available for the exercise. In the second phase, another 35 lakh sarees will be distributed in urban areas from March 1 to 8.
To ensure transparency and build a comprehensive socio-economic database, collectors have also been instructed to maintain the Social, Economic, Educational, Employment and Political Caste Survey (SEEEPEC) data and collect Aadhaar details while carrying out facial recognition during the saree distribution.
Elaborating on the ongoing women-centric welfare initiatives, the chief minister said that free RTC bus travel for women, leasing of RTC buses to women’s groups, and uniform-stitching contracts have collectively helped women’s associations earn up to Rs 30 crore.
Additionally, works worth Rs 534 crore in government schools have been entrusted to Amma Adarsha Pathashala Committees, while paddy procurement has also been handed over to women’s groups.
Banks eager to offer loans to SHGs: Seethakka
He said the government has established the Indira Mahila Shakti Bazaar, spread across three acres of prime land near Shilparamam and valued at several hundred crores of rupees. “Now, we are in talks with Amazon with the aim of providing an international market for products produced by women’s groups,” he reiterated.
Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka said the saree distribution programme was launched with the intent of enhancing the dignity of women across Telangana. He said the government is ensuring that every woman holding a ration card receives a saree.
Women and Child Welfare Minister Seethakka said that banks are increasingly coming forward to offer loans to SHGs, acknowledging their strong financial discipline. She praised women’s groups for maintaining a 98% loan repayment rate. Referring to rumours around the saree distribution, she urged people to identify and counter misinformation about the Indira Mahila Shakti sarees.
During the interaction, the chief minister also reviewed the performance of SHG-run enterprises. Responding to his query, Narayanpet District Mahila Samakhya president Arundhati said that the petrol pump run by the group was performing well, generating around Rs 4 lakh per month in revenue.
Revanth suggested that collectors organise exposure visits for women’s associations from other districts to study the success of the Narayanpet SHG-managed petrol station and adopt similar models to boost income.