Nellore: The government proposed to launch Smart Street Bazar (SSB), as part of the initiative to provide financial support to self help groups (SHGs), in Nellore city. According to sources, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu most likely to inaugurate SSB in October first week.
The SSB, the brainchild of MA&UD Minister P Narayana, would be established at Mypadu gate centre in the city. Sources inform that the government proposed to establish as many as 200 shops with highly sophisticated facilities from Mypadu gate centre to Old Check Post in the city. 120 shops were already completed, while the remaining are under progress in various stages. Of these, 120 shops would be given to SHG women.
The SSB programme is a joint venture of Municipal Administration of Mission for Elimination Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) with a total investment of Rs 8 crore. According to MEPMA PD K Leela Rani, as many as 120 SHG women were already selected for doing business. She said that the government will provide Rs 2 lakh bank loan to the beneficiary, including Rs 1.5 lakh for shop and Rs 50,000 as working capital. Five kinds of shops like food courts (snacks, tiffin centres, tea points, ice cream shops), provision shops, laundry, tailoring, clothes shops and others could be set up.
Municipal Commissioner YO Nandan said the aim of the government in introducing SSB is to allot shops to people doing business on streets. Till date, the government has spent Rs 6 crore to provide infrastructure facilities including establishment of solar panels, installation of CCTV cameras in the premises and others.
A beneficiary, K Sulochana, who secured a shop, told The Hans India that earlier she used to run a tiffin centre on the road at Mypadu gate centre. Thanking the government for the initiative, she felt happy that now she can do more business.
