Bhubaneswar: In the last few years, empowerment of women through Self Help Groups has been the mainstay of Odisha’s rural economic development. A number of initiatives have been taken to make women self reliant and bring in a rural economy that is based on local infrastructure and availability of required resources. The government of Odisha has provided substantial capital in building a healthy SHG network involving 70 lakh women who are today self reliant and contributing to their economic independence. As part of this larger effort, Ganjam district administration has also initiated a number of programs for the livelihoods of women.
An innovative project by the Ganjam administration for rural economic growth and development of women SHGs is slowly transforming the lives. Project DESHI – Development and Empowerment of SHGs Through Hen Infrastructure, has been taken up to give that extra income to rural families. Based on the principle that women empowerment is one of the important aspects of development of the rural economy, financial assistance and poultry birds and feed is being provided to them.
While more than 2000 Women Self Help Group members have already been provided with backyard poultry farming assistance, another 3000 members will be included in the coming three months. Each member will be provided with hundred hens for farming under the project. Taken up in various block of the district, the members are being helped under the flagship MNREGS program. The birds and feed to the members will be provided by Sabuja Ganjam, a producer company through Gram Panchayat Level Federations. The single marketing chain will managed through the Sabuja Ganjam Producer Company.
The projects will focus on farming of Deshi or domestic varieties of hen because of their additional nutrition superiority and demand in local markets. As the government will provide the required know how and materials including the hens and feed, the beneficiary members will not have to pay any amount. Also, they will get at least Rs 2000 per month as profit from this innovative program.
Speaking on the project, DRDA Project Director Shinde Dattatreya Bhausaheb said “ It is a win-win program for the rural women. They will get additional income without any investment. It is going to directly improve the economic condition of the member beneficiaries and indirectly the local economy will also get benefitted.”