Andhra Pradesh bets big on work-from-home for women under IT Policy 4.0

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is pushing for a large-scale "Work From Home" initiative, particularly aimed at empowering women professionals. In a tweet on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Naidu on Tuesday highlighted the state’s vision to capitalise on evolving work trends to foster inclusive growth and boost workforce participation.

"First, I would like to extend greetings to all women and girls in STEM on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Today, we celebrate their achievements and commit ourselves to providing them equal and full access to growth opportunities in these fields," Naidu tweeted.

The chief minister stated how the pandemic-triggered shift toward remote work has opened new possibilities for businesses and employees. "With technology readily available to scale, 'Work From Home' gained prominence. Concepts such as remote work, coworking spaces (CWS), and Neighbourhood Workspaces (NWS) can empower businesses and employees alike to create flexible, productive work environments," he wrote.

Under the Andhra Pradesh IT & GCC Policy 4.0, he said, the state government is introducing incentives for developers to build IT office spaces in every city, town, and mandal. The policy also supports IT and Global Capability Centers (GCCs) to create employment at the grassroots level. "Such initiatives can help us strike a better work-life balance," Naidu added.

The state aims to harness these trends to increase workforce participation and offer women professionals greater access to flexible remote and hybrid work options. "I'm confident these initiatives will foster greater workforce participation, especially of women professionals, who will benefit through flexible remote/hybrid work options," Naidu concluded.