6 days ago
Empowering rural women to become digital entrepreneurs
Tirupati: A transformative AI-powered app-driven digital e-commerce initiative, replicated and piloted in Kuppam, has enabled 93 rural women from self-help groups (SHGs) in the state to generate business worth Rs 15 lakh within just 90 days. The success is driven by AI-powered 'Meri Saheli' app, developed by Frontier Markets, as part of the newly launched 'She Leads Andhra' initiative in partnership with the Kuppam Area Development Authority (KADA).
The pilot programme replicates Frontier Markets' acclaimed previous initiative 'She Leads Bharat Udyam', backed by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth. The previous initiative has already empowered more than 15,000 rural women across Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to become successful digital entrepreneurs. In Andhra Pradesh, the model has been tailored to address local needs through strategic collaboration with KADA. 'The initiative leverages the AI-driven Meri Saheli app to equip rural women with the tools to become digitally enabled storefront owners. It enables them to diversify and significantly elevate their incomes through digital commerce,' said KADA Project Director Vikas Marmat.
The pilot in Kuppam was conceptualized during the World Economic Forum summit in Davos earlier this year when Frontier Markets founder Ajaita Shah (previously hailed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for her contributions to rural entrepreneurship) met Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Vikas Marmat.
The meeting laid the foundation to replicate the success of 'She Leads Bharat' in Kuppam.
After identifying aspirational women lacking digital infrastructure and economic stability, KADA helped select the initial cohort of SHG members. They were trained in digital entrepreneurship and integrated into the Meri saheli platform. Over two and a half months, the women transitioned to becoming micro-retailers with access to over 200 market partners and strong last-mile delivery support.
Unlike the apps of conventional e-commerce platforms, Meri saheli caters specifically to tier-5 and tier-6 rural areas. It ensures access to essential goods at competitive prices, delivered directly to rural households, thereby enabling broader inclusion in digital commerce. During his visit to Kuppam on July 2, Chief Minister Naidu visited Kuppam and interacted with the SHG women involved in the project. He acknowledged the model's tangible success and expressed his intention to expand the program statewide. 'She Leads Andhra aims to empower 30,000 SHG women in its first phase to fully saturate Chittoor district, and 1 lakh women across the state over the next three years.
