Naveen Launches Mega Credit Outreach Programme for Mission Shakti SHGs; 26,722 SHGs to Avail Loans worth Rs 1001 Cr

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday launched the Mega Credit Outreach Programme for self-help groups (SHGs) of Mission Shakti, marking a golden chapter in the ongoing Mission Shakti movement in the State.

The Chief Minister has launched the mega loan disbursement programme of Odisha Gramya Bank. As many as 26, 722 SHGs will receive loans worth Rs 1001 crore. It will benefit 2.68 lakh Mission Shakti members of the State.

Never before has there been such a huge loan disbursement programme for women has been launched only in one day. The credit outreach programme will ensure that Mission Shakti members get access to institutional credits hassle-free so that they could expand their livelihood opportunities.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister called upon the bankers to participate in the Mission Shakti programme of the State and lead the women empowerment programme and participate in the transformation of Odisha.

The Chief Minister said that it has been decided to make a revolving fund of Rs.1 crore for the district-level federations and Rs.50 lakh for the block-level federations. Apart from this, provision has also been made to provide interest-free loans of up to Rs 5 lakh to SHG members.

The Chief Minister also flagged off 5 Multi Purpose Mobile Van-cum-ATMs and hoped that this would further improve the financial inclusion programme in rural areas.

Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari said that efforts are on to increase the average loan amount to Rs 4 lakh to further accelerate the Mission Shakti programme. He advised the banks to cooperate for this.

Women and Child Development Minister Basanti Hembram said that today Mission Shakti has gained momentum due to the vision of the Chief Minister.

Speaking on the occasion, Sujata R Karthikeyan, Commissioner-Cum-Secretary of Mission Shakti Department said that the major objective of Mission Shakti programme is to enable mothers to make their presence and get dignity by participating in various fields. We have succeeded in many ways in this objective, she added.

Those were days when mothers did not know what banks were and were afraid to go to the banks because it was considered a man’s domain. Today, banks go from village to village, from house to house giving loans to mothers. This is transformation, she said.

Odisha is the only State where the Chief Minister himself conducts a regular review of the lending programme of the banks to Mission Shakti Group. Similarly, Odisha is the first state to make Mission Shakti a separate Department, she added.