The success of Odisha government’s Mission Shakti, which aims at empowering women by organizing them into income-generating self-help groups (SHG), is evident from the fact that more than 70,00,000 women are already part of the Mission and it has turned into a movement. Mission Shakti minister (it is a full-fledged department now) Tukuni Sahu recently gave MLAs an idea of how the Mission is transforming the lives of women across the state.
The minister said that the state government has already provided financial assistance worth
Rs 819,67,33,000 to Mission Shakti with the purpose of helping women engaged in economically productive activities. In the tribal-dominated Koraput district, 3,48,192 women have joined the Mission, which is a tribute to the popularity of the SHG movement sponsored by the government.
The minister said that, as of now, Mission Shakti in Koraput district has been allocated financial assistance to the tune of Rs. 30,54,12,000. Members of SHGs are engaged in a variety of activities such as fish farming, mushroom cultivation, vegetable cultivation, management of paddy market yards, distribution of midday meals, management of public distribution system, management of Mission Shakti Bhojanalayas, distribution of pre-school uniform, providing food to patients in hospitals, distribution of “chhatua” to Anganwadi Kendras, poultry farming, goat rearing, cultivation of cash crops, plant nurseries, managing millet cleaning machines and collection of electricity of bills.
The credit for turning Mission Shakti into a strong women-centric movement by providing women SHG members a variety of income-generating options goes to the department’s commissioner-cum-secretary Sujata R Karthikeyan. Her vision and dynamism are directly responsible for expanding the scope of the activities of women SHGs and making its members more confident about their ability to stand on their own feet.
On a rough estimate, there are currently around six lakh SHGs active in the state. The state cabinet had last year approved the proposal for provisioning of Government Services & Procurements worth Rs. 5,000 crore in five years through these SHGs with the sole objective of ensuring that members of these groups never fall short of income-generating activities. The Mission has achieved an impressive goal by providing substantial business worth several crores to the SHGs in convergence with different government departments.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been personally monitoring the progress on this front. Sometime ago, he had reviewed the progress made by as many as 20 departments in providing government – sponsored business to Mission Shakti-backed SHGs. He had appreciated the efforts of some of these departments and also urged other departments to take immediate steps for further engagement of SHGs in remunerative activities. The Chief Minister had made it clear that his government was fully committed to the economic development of women as their true empowerment would be impossible without that.
The department of Mission Shakti which aims at transforming the lives of women across the state is a great initiative of our beloved CM.The members of the SHGs are engaged in economically productive activities in all the districts of the State including tribal dominated districts.
The dynamic, hardworking,visionary Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Mission Shakti Sujata R Karthikeyan Madam,has made it possible for women of the State to stand on their own feet and become economically self-reliant through the SHGs,which has become a role model in the country for other States to follow.
Bande Utkal Janani