

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu participated in the National Saras Mela 2026 held in Vijayawada. He said organising the event during the Dasara festivities added to its significance and described President Droupadi Murmu as a symbol of women’s empowerment and the strength of a new India. He noted that Vijayawada was hosting the national women’s Saras Mela outside Delhi for the first time. The event aims to increase rural women’s incomes, encourage women entrepreneurs and promote rural products. Naidu said Andhra Pradesh has 11 lakh self-help groups with a combined turnover of ₹69,000 crore. He added that one lakh self-help group members had been trained as entrepreneurs over the past year, with plans to help more women establish businesses.
Naidu said the state had introduced the ‘Swayam AP’ brand to market products made by women’s self-help groups. These products will be made available through e-commerce and online shopping platforms. He expressed hope that self-help groups would grow from savings-based collectives into successful businesses and eventually build internationally recognised brands. The Chief Minister highlighted welfare and empowerment initiatives, including Thalliki Vandanam and the Stree Shakti free bus travel scheme, under which women have completed 100 crore journeys, according to his remarks. He said the government’s goal was to move women from welfare to wealth creation and strengthen their economic, social and political security. Self-help groups, he added, would play an important role in achieving the Swarna Andhra 2047 vision, with every group becoming an economic force, every woman an entrepreneur and every village an employment hub.




















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