Building An Entrepreneurial Edifice: Odisha’s First-Ever Mission Shakti Urban Mall to Come up in Berhampur

Berhampur: Giving a momentum to the ongoing Self-Help Group revolution in Odisha, the first-ever urban mall of Mission Shakti is going to be opened soon in the city of Berhampur in Ganjam district.

The upcoming mall will provide the Women SHGs a new and vibrant platform to exhibit their collective entrepreneurship and capability propelling Odisha’s progress towards women empowerment, a vision that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has always emphasized for the development of the State.

In the words of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, “No household, no society, no state, no country has ever moved forward without empowering the women”.

True to it, the Mission Shakti movement, which was started way back in 2001 to empower the women at the grassroots level, has become the dynamic force and emerged as an agent of change in the socio-economic status of millions of women in Odisha.

The first-ever urban mall, which is going to be opened at Meenakhi Nagar main road, a strategic location in Berhampur, will showcase rich the prowess of women and bring to fore their entrepreneurial skills.

According to Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) Commissioner Dr. Siddeshwar Baliram Bondar, who is personally monitoring the progress of the project, the mall will accommodate more than 15 SHGs who will display and sale a range of Berhampur-made products like badi, rashi papad, pickles, silk products and handicraft items. The BeMC is planning to open the exclusive mall by November 15 this year.

Being set up in an attractive ambience, the Mission Shakti urban mall will play a pivotal role in promoting the products made by the SHGs. It will facilitate sales and marketing of various handloom, handicraft, food items, spices and non-farm products manufactured by the WSHGs.

It is a part of the commitment of the civic body towards the economic empowerment of women through SHGs, the Commissioner says.

Besides the mall, work is going on in full swing to open a SHG-led pickle manufacturing unit in Berhampur by November 15. The state-of-the-art pickle manufacturing unit will cater to the needs of the Aahar centers in the Silk city.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik-led Odisha Government’s pro-women initiatives have created a conducive environment for the development of these self-help groups in every nook and corner of the state.

The Mission Shakti urban mall is one such initiative that will certainly illustrate the true reflection of women’s empowerment and self-reliance.