Latest news with #LivelihoodsandEntrepreneurshipAccelerationProgramme
Hans India
16-07-2025
- Business
- Hans India
AP aims at creating 30,000 new women entrepreneurs
Tadepalli: The state government is committed to economically empower women and cultivate them into successful entrepreneurs, said principal secretary, municipal administration and urban development, S Suresh Kumar. Following Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's directives, the government is aiming at creating over 30,000 women entrepreneurs this financial year, transforming them into business owners with a turnover of Rs 1 crore. Suresh Kumar addressed the state-level Livelihoods and Entrepreneurship Acceleration Programme (LEAP) organised by Mission for Eradication of Poverty in Municipal Areas (Mepma) here on Tuesday. He said that the LEAP programme is instrumental in strengthening women financially by unearthing their entrepreneurial skills and molding them into formidable business leaders. Mppma's efforts in this regard are invaluable. He also addressed a common misconception among many women that participating in the LEAP audit would disqualify their families from government welfare schemes. He reassured them that this is not true. Mempa managing director N Tej Bharat urged Mempa staff to work tirelessly to financially empower women and help them achieve recognition as business owners. He stressed that merely providing loans is not enough; staff must also offer advice and support for their business growth. Tej Bharat announced that the LEAP audit is in its final stages in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Tirupati corporations. He clarified that the audit aims at equipping women entrepreneurs with advanced business insights and encourage them. Several women entrepreneurs shared their experiences. Deepti Reddy from Vijayawada recounted her journey, stating she started a boutique with a Rs 2 lakh DWCRA loan and now employs 12 people, paying approximately Rs 5 lakh in salaries monthly. Ramadevi from Vijayawada, who established a semi-cooked chapati industry, expressed her joy at earning a stable monthly income. Hyma, another entrepreneur from Vijayawada, shared that she began a saree manufacturing unit with a Rs 60,000 DWCRA loan and has now achieved a turnover of Rs 3 crore. India SME Forum president Vinod Kumar, director general Sushma Mortania, Mepma additional Mission Director Naga Venkateswara Rao Kotipalli, project directors from all districts, India SME Forum director - training, skill and incubation, Bhavya Sharma, along with Mepma city Mission Managers, Cos participated.
The Hindu
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Workshop for MEPMA officials to identify SHG businesses held at Tadepalli
MEPMA (Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas) on Tuesday conducted a workshop on 'Livelihoods and Entrepreneurship Acceleration Programme' (LEAP), a key initiative under MEPMA to achieve the goals set by the State government with regard to One Family-One Entrepreneur (OFOE) programme. According to a press note from the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department (MA&UD), LEAP is aimed at strengthening urban business ecosystems by identifying, guiding, and scaling SHG-led enterprises. In alignment with the State government's OFOE programme, the LEAP project is being implemented in collaboration with the India SME Forum. In this context, the workshop held at Tadepalli provided direction to MEPMA staff on how to enable entrepreneurship within families. MA&UD principal secretary S. Suresh Kumar and MEPMA mission director N. Tej Bharat were present on the occasion. The workshop focused on capacity building for city mission managers, identifying SHG businesses, exploring market access strategies and digital formalisation techniques, and also training staff to become mentors and counsellors. The officials also discussed subjects, including cluster development, promotion of women SHG clusters, and digital tools like dashboards, feedback systems, and performance tracking. MEPMA is aiming to nurture 30,000 entrepreneurs during 2025–26, and staff were briefed on the roadmap to achieve the goal. According to a press note, an action plan is already under way for implementation of the project. Phase-1 audit has been completed in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Tirupati municipal corporations. Data of nearly 4,00,000 SHG members was analysed by India SME Forum and MEPMA staff. Phase-2 audit also has begun recently across 14 municipal corporations.
