AP MEPMA Partners With GoMill to Empower 500 SHG Women

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Thursday, 27 August 2026

The Andhra Pradesh Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) has joined hands with Native Touch, the e-commerce and consumer brand of EBG Group, to create millet-based enterprises for 500 urban Self-Help Group (SHG) women across Andhra Pradesh. The program will be implemented through Native Touch’s millet-focused brand, GoMill.

As part of the initiative, GoMill will establish franchise-based millet food-service kiosks and retail outlets for SHG women. It will provide support across enterprise development, product and menu creation, branding, infrastructure planning, food safety, hygiene, business operations and market access.

AP MEPMA will facilitate bank linkages and help eligible women access livelihood-promotion schemes. District and Urban Local Body teams will also support the implementation of the program across the state.

Andhra Pradesh will serve as the pilot state for the initiative, driven by increasing demand for millet-based products. The program aims to address key barriers faced by urban SHG women, including limited access to business models, branding, product development, market connections and entrepreneurship training.

Key Highlights:

• 500 SHG women will receive support to start millet-based businesses across Andhra Pradesh
• 100 millet outlets will be established to expand women-led enterprises
• Around 1,500 jobs will be created through direct and indirect employment

GoMill will supply product design, branding strategies, business model, and market knowledge, while AP MEPMA will draw upon its base of ULBs to identify and mobilize deserving women entrepreneurs.

Founder of EBG Group Dr Irfan Khan expressed that entrepreneurship is one of the most sustainable pathways for economic empowerment and GoMill’s effort is to transform healthy food into profitable enterprises for women.

Dr Khan stated that the objective of the program is to engage 500 women SHG members, establish 100 millet business outlets, and create direct and indirect jobs for around 1500 people.

Irfan Khan, the founder of EBG Group, mentioned how entrepreneurship is one of the most sustainable forms of economic power; Native Touch was created in order to help India get its natural products to the global market, while GoMill extended this idea to the millet market as well.

“Our objective is to create an ecosystem that encourages healthier food choices while enabling women to build profitable and sustainable enterprises,” Irfan said.

MEPMA will search for and mobilize qualifying SHG females via its presence everywhere in urban local bodies and assist in setting up the businesses. It will also assist the beneficiaries in obtaining necessary bank linkages and schemes for sustainability of livelihood.

The entrepreneurs will be provided with training regarding millet food preparation, food safety, hygiene, customer service, inventory management, quality assurance, business activities as well as entrepreneurship development.

GoMill will also assist in mentoring after the launch of the businesses, provision of marketing assistance, hand-holding in operating the businesses, support for supply chain management, as well as monitoring profitability of the businesses and coordination between the interested parties for the purpose of making the businesses sustainable.

India is the biggest millet producer in the world, contributing more than 38% of the global production; the idea will use the increasing demand for millet products in the consumers’ market and will allow women to have a decent job. The director of mission, MEPMA Vakati Karuna expressed the gratitude for the efforts of EBG organization in its promoting the self-help groups in the country.