Naidu pushes for international branding for DWCRA products
Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday directed officials to develop DWCRA products into strong brands comparable to multinational companies, suggesting a cooperative marketing model similar to Amul.
Addressing the first day of the sixth District Collectors’ Conference at the Secretariat in Amaravati, the Chief Minister said the government has begun branding products made by women self-help groups under DWCRA and the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA). Naidu said branding is essential to enhance the value of products made by self-help groups. “Without a brand, the value of a product will drop significantly. Quality standards must be improved so that DWCRA products can reach global markets,” he said.
He proposed creating 28 district-level brands to promote competition and improve quality. Traceability and certification mechanisms should also be introduced to strengthen consumer confidence and market access, he added.
The CM said that women self-help groups have strong financial credibility and repayment capacity, which encourages banks to extend loans. A well-established brand for DWCRA products would further strengthen their market presence and income opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
Naidu also called for administrative reforms to improve governance. He directed officials to establish district-level centres under the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) to monitor government programmes and evaluate employee erformance. The General Administration Department was asked to make computer literacy mandatory for government jobs.
He suggested setting up Human Resource institutes in every district to strengthen the capabilities of government staff and ensure better service delivery. In the agriculture sector, the CM asked officials to promote diversification by encouraging farmers to expand into horticulture and animal husbandry along with traditional farming. He also directed departments to remove regulatory hurdles that prevent tenant farmers from accessing bank loans.
Naidu emphasised the need to accelerate railway and logistics infrastructure. He noted that a rail corridor is being developed between Itchapuram and Chennai and said steps should be taken to construct road over bridges and road under bridges at more than 1,100 railway crossings in the State. The CM also asked officials to develop logistics parks near ports and airports and explore the establishment of heliports in every district to strengthen connectivity. Naidu stressed the importance of sanitation and urged municipal authorities to improve cleanliness so that cities and towns in the state compete for top rankings in the Swachh Survekshan awards.
