Women Millionaire Initiative: Women’s Economic Empowerment 2024

The government has set an ambitious goal to turn women into millionaires through the Mahila Shakti scheme within the next five years, which is a significant step towards empowering women.

This initiative was highlighted on Wednesday, July 24, at the GHMC headquarters' Panwar Hall. Speaking to the guests, UCD Additional Commissioner Chandrakant Reddy underlined the GHMC Commissioner's order to encourage cooperation between different agencies to advance the Mahila Shakti program. The program attempts to increase awareness among women in Self-Help Groups (SHGs) about starting a variety of businesses, including canteens, catering services, boutiques, Telangana pastries, DTP Xerox centres, tailoring, and embroidery units.

MEPMA State Mission Coordinators Prasanna Kumar and Padma explained the Mahila Shakti Scheme in detail. They covered the goals for GHMC, the implementation methods, and the loans and subsidies that could be used to fund these projects. Chandrakant Reddy further recommended that individual businesses concentrate on Telangana pastries, pickles, dairy products, handmade crafts, and more, while large group enterprises could include canteens, food trucks, cold storage, and construction equipment services.

The possibility of SHG women providing monthly, part-time, or full-time domestic services like cooking, cleaning, and elder care was also discussed at the meeting. The Prime Minister's Scheme for Regularisation of Microfood Manufacturing Enterprises (PMFME) allows SHG members to establish individual micro-food processing units. Sriram, a representative of the State Food Processing Society, explained the process of setting up individual micro-food processing units and the financial assistance available for them.

Rajesh Kumar, the KVIC District Nodal Officer, spoke about the PM Vishwakarma Scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Employment Generation Scheme, and the Gramodaya Vikas Yojana (GVY), emphasising the need for a planned approach to unit establishment based on local demand. MEPMA State Mission Co-ordinate Officer Chaitanya suggested establishing cold storage facilities in fruit, vegetable, and flower markets in addition to highlighting a plan for street vendors.