Naidu sets 50% women’s workforce target in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu announced plans to establish a technology park for women entrepreneurs, offering free land and incentives, and set a target to increase women’s share of the state workforce from 35.8% to 50%. He did not specify a deadline for reaching the target.

Naidu made the announcements at the Women and Growth Summit in Visakhapatnam on November 12, held alongside the CII Partnership Summit. He also said the state government would facilitate five women entrepreneurs’ participation in the forthcoming World Economic Forum summit in Davos. The technology park was presented as a dedicated resource for women-led businesses; the announcement did not say it was already operational.

The workforce target is part of a broader effort to expand women’s employment in manufacturing, industry and agriculture, Naidu said. He pointed to industrial employers already hiring women and to projects expected to create further opportunities. Brandix Apparel City in Visakhapatnam employs about 20,000 women, while Sri City employs more than 75,000, according to figures cited at the summit.

A proposed Global Toy Park at Nakkapalli is expected to generate 30,000 jobs...