August 26, 2025

A quiet revolution is buzzing through Andhra Pradesh! On March 8, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu launched a vibrant scheme called ‘One Family, One Entrepreneur,’ lighting up the lives of women across cities like Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Nellore. Armed with electric scooters, smartphones, and a fearless spirit, women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are now steering their own ride-sharing services through the platform Rapido. The Andhra Pradesh government's Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) teamed up with Rapido to offer electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers to SHG women and their families. In the pilot phase, over 1,000 beneficiaries grabbed this golden chance — 400 each in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, 50 in Nellore and Guntur, and 25 each in Kurnool, Tirupati, Kakinada, and Rajamahendravaram. About 760 got electric scooters and 240 got three-wheelers. Loans were given in the name of SHG women, but if a woman didn’t have a driving licence, a family member with one could drive instead. To ease the financial path, MEPMA helped prepare project reports and secure loans from nationalised banks under the Self-Employment Programme (SEP). Rapido turned up the heat with some sizzling support: new drivers got their platform fees waived for three to four months and ₹1,000 monthly EMI help for the first year, no matter if they drove a scooter or an autorickshaw. This meant women could start earning money from day one, without worrying about heavy repayments. According to Minister for HRD and IT Nara Lokesh, “Women empowerment is a key focus area of the TDP government. I am happy that we could create this partnership with Rapido and empower over 1,000 women. This is just a start and we will be doing much more.” These bright entrepreneurs get bank loans, government subsidies ranging from ₹12,300 for scooters to ₹36,000 for autorickshaws, plus Rapido’s waivers and EMI help. With electric vehicles slashing fuel and maintenance costs, they save about ₹13,000 to ₹16,000 monthly—bringing steady smiles and stability to their families. The government plans to turbo-charge this success next year by reaching 4,800 women. Already, this fleet of women drivers has zoomed through more than 45,000 rides and earned a stunning ₹35 lakh combined from May to July. This isn’t just a scheme; it’s a movement towards a brighter, greener, and more empowering future for women across Andhra Pradesh!

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Tags: Andhra pradesh, Women empowerment, Electric vehicles, Rapido, Self-help groups, Entrepreneurship,