Bhubaneswar: As the International Women’s Day is being celebrated today across the globe to highlight the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, Odisha under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is championing the cause of women empowerment.
Women are the backbone of the family, architects of the society and bedrock of the nation. No household, no society, no state, no country has ever progressed without empowering its women.
Women empowerment can be achieved only when women are given opportunity or encouraged for their participation in all areas and sectors and have a voice in the decision-making process.
When it comes to women empowerment and emancipation, unarguably Odisha’s longest serving Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is a true champion. His path-breaking initiatives like 50 per cent reservation for women in Panchyati Raj institutions, Resolution seeking 33 per cent reservation in legislative assemblies and Parliament, Mission Shakti, Mamata Yojana, girls’ education, hostels for tribal girls, provision of Rs. 7 lakh health insurance for women under Biju Swastya Kalyan Yojana, and land rights for women have gone a long way in empowering women in Odisha.
In a country like India, the role of women occupies a significant place in the development of the family and the society at large. The changing characteristics of Indian society with a mix of rural and urban order depend much on the women folk. In each and every sphere, be it economy, education, health or welfare, women are at the center and deserve the best of the encouragement so that there is all round development. State sponsorship to various encouragement programs of women plays an important role in women empowerment.
In India, there are a few programs which deserve to be discussed and debated for their contribution to women empowerment and thereby social change. One such initiative is the flagship program of the Government of Odisha, Mission Shakti that has become a revolution in the state.
Mission Shakti has shown the world that successful women empowerment has the trickle down impact on the economy, livelihood, social development, healthcare and education of the state. The state has the distinction of having more than 70 lakh self help group (SHG) members sponsored by Mission Shakti – the nodal agency of the Government of Odisha. From a humble beginning in the year 2001, Mission Shakti today has become a force to be reckoned with. After nearly two decades, the humble beginning has become a revolution today and brought under its ambit more than 7 million women. This flagship programme of the government of Odisha for women empowerment has successfully achieved its goal of empowering the women of the state. Mission Shakti, with its multi-pronged approach to the strategies for making women self-sufficient has been able to improve the economic condition of lakhs of families and thereby the state’s economy also.
During election times, most of the political parties in their manifestos repeatedly speak about women empowerment, but somewhere when it comes to walking the talk, there is a deafening silence. But, for Odisha Chief Minister and his party Biju Janata Dal are always true to their words and sincerely fulfill what they have promised for women empowerment and gender responsive governance in the State, which has been well acknowledged by the United Nations. Naveen kept his promise of giving tickets to 33 percent women in Parliamentary elections and five of them won the elections. Naveen’s decision to field Pramila Bisoyi from Aska is seen as the best instance of women empowerment. And true to his decision, Pramila has not only won the elections, but people’s hearts.
Continuing the trend, the Chief Minister had appointed women leaders as chairpersons of various state corporations, boards and as advisor of different state government welfare schemes. The grassroots leader will definitely add to the Chief Minister’s ambition to empower more and more women.
The day is not so far to see that the women of Odisha will be leading the way in women empowerment in India.