Odisha government’s Mission Shakti Yojana is quietly changing the lives of lakhs of women in remote areas by helping them cross gender barriers and make them financially independent.
Self Help Group members at a Mission Shakti training camp in Bhubaneswar; (Photo: Arabinda Mohapatra)
TeaThe unlit, tunnel-like room is littered with cobwebs and ropes. The humming machine drowns out all other sounds. Then, as the eye adjusts itself to the darkness, 12 women—some making rope, some fashioning other objects—become apparent. His nimble fingers shape intricate handicrafts before one’s eyes. Forty-five year old Kavita Sahu, who started this venture in 2006 with a handful of members, is now a successful entrepreneur. Shahu, whose life was once steeped in poverty, now earns Rs 40,000 a month after all expenses, including fair wages to his employees. She is a beneficiary of the Odisha government’s Mission Shakti Yojana, a women empowerment initiative that has transformed the lives of lakhs of women over two decades by providing them independent income. At a time when states are showering doles on women to secure them as vote banks, Mission Shakti brings them together in self-help groups (SHGs) of women – the backbone of the scheme – that sell various goods and services manufactures and supplies. For this women are trained in diverse skills, government loans are provided, repayment is emphasized and rewarded, and business is guaranteed. The scope of operations is wide: from farm related activities to banking operations and Public Distribution System dealerships. A scheme close to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s heart, Mission Shakti (MS) has provided the spark that has unleashed the hitherto untapped entrepreneurial talent of women in the hinterland. Overall, 7 million women (15 percent of the population) have benefited from it, helping them live with financial security. If the privileges enjoyed by the families are included, the MS scheme has touched the lives of 28 million people – half the population of Odisha.