The Odisha government has announced ₹453.50 crore assistance for woman self help groups (SHG) as part of a comprehensive COVID-19 package.
While ₹169 crore has been earmarked for the construction of Block level buildings for the women’s SHG federation, ₹84.50 crore will be made available as a revolving fund. Women SHGs will undergo training and can sell their products at the new buildings, which would be known as ‘Mission Shakti Bhawan’.
The State government will provide ₹200 crore towards interest subvention, which is likely to help women SHGs pay back interest on loans provided to them.
“Mission Shakti is an organisation comprising 70 lakh women of Odisha. They are a development force,” said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
A separate department called ‘Mission Shakti’ has recently been carved out of the Women and Child Development Department.
According to the new department, nearly 70 lakh women have been organised into groups of 6 lakh women in all the Blocks and urban local bodies of the State so far. Constant hand-holding and monitoring is undertaken throughout the year in order to strengthen the activities of the existing women SHGs.
In the past two years, different products worth ₹2,800 crore have been purchased from women SHGs. Mission Shakti Secretary Sujata Karthikeyan said women SHGs would be provided bank loans to the tune of ₹6,000 crore in the financial year 2021-22.
