International Women’s Day: Odisha Leading The Transformation Towards Embracing Equity

Bhubaneswar: As the world today celebrates International Women’s Day with the theme Embrace Equity, we proudly look forward to the notable contributions Odisha is making in this regard. The theme aptly highlights the significance of building an equitable, diverse, and inclusive way of life for women around the world and for which Odisha is acting as a flag bearer.

Odisha is on the move with the aim of empowering its women by ensuring and assuring them their rightful opportunities and creating an inclusive world.
Through its various interventions in the last two decades, Odisha has achieved a milestone in women empowerment that has very few parallels.

Be it politics, administration, law and order or economy, Odia women are today leading the change and have truly embraced equity. Odisha is today experiencing a societal change where its women have the greatest opportunity and all the say.

Mission Shakti – the most ambitious initiative of the Government of Odisha led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today has become a revolution. In the last two decades of its journey, Mission Shakti has been able to leave its mark on the overall development of the state be it political, social or economic. More than 70 lakh women have come together with a common agenda to make Odisha great. Through Mission Shakti, the Women Self Help Groups today have become the growth drivers of the rural economy.

In politics also Odisha has been the pioneer in empowering women. From the grassroots level Panchayats to the Indian Parliament, the participation of women has seen tremendous rise under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who has been a crusader of women empowerment, has said that “Empowerment of women has been at the heart of all our initiatives whether it is Mamata, Mission Shakti, Gender Budget or participation of women in legislation. On Women’s Day, let’s celebrate their leadership in society pledge to create women leaders in every sphere.”

This International Women’s Day, when the world is preaching for an equitable world for the women, Odisha has been successfully demonstrating that if there is a will, their empowerment can never be stopped.