Odisha Becomes Second State With Exclusive Mission Shakti Department

Odisha Becomes Second State With Exclusive Mission Shakti Department

Odisha has proposed a separate Mission Shakti Department, which would strengthen the SHG initiatives and empower 80 lakh members through greater focus, synergy and resource mobilisation, which is slated to start functioning in Odisha on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

It is dedicated to all the women of Odisha as a tribute for the contributions that they have made to the society for its development and betterment. The department is headed by two women – Minister Tukuni Sahu and IAS officer Sujata R Karthikeyan. With this,Odisha will become the second state after West Bengal to have a separate department promoting self-employment opportunities through women’s self-help groups (SHGs).

A year after becoming the chief minister in 2001, Naveen Patnaik had started the Mission Shakti programme, with the objective of organising women into SHGs for holistic empowerment and targeted livelihood activities. In April 2017, a separate directorate of Mission Shakti was created under the Women and Child Development Department. Odisha has a little over six lakh SHGs, having 70 lakh members with Rs 5,000 crore savings and Rs 2,000 crore annual bank exposure.

During the uncertain pandemic period, around 7000 SHGs were engaged as implementing partners under the Urban Wage Employment Initiative. The Mukhyamantri Karma Tatpara Abhiyan helped urban women in slums and poor households earn through desilting of drains, construction of rainwater harvesting structures, plantations, recycling and reuse of waste, beautification of the city through wall painting and murals. Around 400 SHGs manufactured over 3.3 million masks for distribution among people last year.

When dry ration and vegetable shops were shut in rural Odisha, the SHGs distributed more than 9 million cooked meals through the free kitchens managed by them in gram panchayats.