Mission Shakti to empowerment Orissa women

By
sabyasachi amitav

A silent revolution is taking place in rural Orissa, India. Poor people, mostly women, are repositioning themselves to join the national mainstream.

Over 25 lakh people have organised themselves under 2.05 lakh self-help groups (SHGs). Significantly, out of these about 19.88 lakh are women, who have formed as many as 1.58 lakh all-women groups. In fact, Mission Shakti, a project of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to achieve women empowerment, has now become a buzzword in rural Orissa, as members venture into income generation and social reforms, education and health awareness.

The Saradadevi Women Freedom Association of Sompur village has been active in mobilising women to form SHGs. The officers of State Bank of India (SBI), Bishnu Mohan Das and Sadananda Sahu, are ensuring group members learn writing skills by discouraging thumb impressions on bank papers.

With a marketing network in place in coming years, Mission Shakti will be the biggest movement in the state to eradicate poverty and for the empowerment of women. SHGs are likely to make village moneylenders jobless, and would be able to do away with the middle man in trade, if bank credit is adequate and the marketing network functions efficiently.