Naidu calls for more women in politics and business
The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister aims to increase female workforce participation from 35.8 per cent to 50 per cent.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu called for increased involvement of women in the business and political sectors on Thursday. Speaking at the Women and Growth Summit 2026 in Visakhapatnam, Naidu stated the state government intends to raise female workforce participation from 35.8 per cent to 50 per cent soon, according to the Deccan Chronicle.
The Chief Minister urged all political parties to ensure the 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies is implemented. He noted that women currently make up 50 per cent of elected representatives in local bodies and that eight mayoral positions were given to women, despite only five being legally reserved.
Naidu highlighted that 1.13 crore women in Andhra Pradesh are members of self-help groups (SHGs). These groups have a corpus fund of ₹30,000 crore and an annual business turnover of nearly ₹1 lakh crore.
Regarding employment, Naidu mentioned the Brandix textile facility in Visakhapatnam employs about 20,000 women. He added that the proposed Global Toy Park is expected to create 30,000 jobs for women, alongside opportunities from investments in Kuppam and Anantapur.
The Chief Minister encouraged women to adopt technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and robotics to secure jobs in Tirupati. He also announced that five women entrepreneurs from the state will be encouraged to attend the upcoming World Economic Forum summit in Davos.