Women SHG Members Acting as Bridge Between Government and Society: Sujata R Karthikeyan

Bhubaneswar: Mission Shakti has given a special identity to the women in Odisha. The women self-help group members are working under Mission Shakti are working as a bridge between the government and the society, said Sujata R Karthikeyan, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Mission Shakti Department, here on Tuesday. Attending the closing ceremony of the Skill Development Workshop of Mahatma Gandhi National Fellows at the World Skill Center, Karthikeyan elaborated the achievements and challenges of Mission Shakti in the state.

She said that women empowerment is one of the major development initiatives of the Government of Odisha. Economic empowerment of women has significantly contributed to their social empowerment. Especially, at the grassroots level, women need to participate in decision-making. Leadership development among women has been possible through Mission Shakti. The women self-help groups have proved this by performing their duties diligently during the Covid-19 pandemic. The State Government has made arrangements to provide funds to the tune of Rs 5000 Crores to the self-help groups for doing business in the next five years. Similarly, it is planned to start 500 Mission Shakti Bazaars/Outlets at the District and Block level across the state. In addition, the aim is to set up a Mission Shakti Cafe in every block. The women working in these cafes are trained at the Indian Institute of Hotel Management. The women self-help groups will take lead as partners in the development and formation of a new Odisha, she added.

Participating in the Workshop, Agriculture and Farmer’s Empowerment Principal Secretary Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee called upon all to create awareness on crop diversification and minimizing food wastage. He said, there is also a need to create awareness among the people on increasing interest in healthy, safe and nutritious food. It is important to develop farming skills among the women. They should have the right and decision making power over the farm land. With this, there could be empowerment of women in the farming sector. On this occasion, representatives of CTTC, CIPET, ORMAS, Orange Cross and Tata Strive, provided information regarding the skill development training they are providing.