Officials push for Grameen e-Commerce to boost biz

Tirupati: Chittoor district officials are exploring the avenues in private sector to get more income and coverage of self-help group women families in the Chief Minister’s home constituency. As part of improving the women earning capacities,

Highlights:

• Chittoor district DRDA plans novel business for women SHGs
• CM launches all-in-one online shops at villages level in his home turf
• Sets target to increase the SHGs income upto Rs 40 crores per month

District Collector PS Pradyumna planned Gecom (Grameena e-commerce) shops for fulfilling all villagers purchasing needs at one place. At present, if any villager wants to buy watch or other electronic product, they should go to the nearest town or city for purchasing, but in the coming next few days villagers have no need to go to near towns.

Currently, there is limit in getting benefits under government schemes but the sky is the limit in private sector. So, the officials decided to bring all SHGs, small kirana shops, online super markets and stores under one roof. One of the important livelihood activity of SHGs is retail stores.

During Nava Nirmana Diksha, the Chittoor District took “Maha Sankalpam” for facilitating every house hold to get a minimum of Rs 10,000 per month as additional income. In rural areas of Chittoor district, 6,45,798 women formed 65,566 SHGs, 2,577 Village Organisations and 66 Mandala Mahila Samakhyas.

Accordingly, various livelihood activities like milch animals, ram lambs, manakodi, chittoor kodi, artisans development, horticulture, avenue plantation and farm mechanisation are being implemented with the support of government.

In the district, 21,724 kirana shops are maintained by the SHG families. In the near future, district authorities will make these kirana shops as online super markets in a phased manner. Gecom (Grameen e-Commerce) was started in the district for “Making Small Kirana Shops to Online Super Markets”. During the recent Chief Minister’s visit to Tirupati, he has inaugurated the first online Kirana village super market through video linkage at Kuppam.

These online super markets will cover FMCG products, apparels, jewellery, electronics, insurance, digital services like mobile recharge, money transfer, mobile wallets and travel services.

In Gecom, no capital investment, no inventory stocking is required. “Gecom’’ saves money, time of the rural customers. promotes cashless economy in rural areas. This novel business idea promotes tourism in rural sector. The SHGs will get commission on all transactions and double the income. At present, Store King, Make My Trip and Shop X have started their activities in the district with tie-up of SHG online shops.

Under Phase-2 trade, out for the products of SHGs, farmers produced in rural areas will also be taken up in the Gecom to provide better marketing price.

While DRDA Chittoor District project director B Ravi Prakash Reddy told The Hans India here on Sunday that as per directions of Collector Pradyumna, DRDA would plan for rising to Rs 40 crore income every month to SHG women through Gecom scheme.

“For the capital investment of women kirana shop owners, we will arrange bank loans and credit cards for money transactions, it will help the SHG kirana shops to buy the things from online portal as per the village customers wish,” said B Ravi Prakash.

By K Nethaji