Bhubaneswar: While UN Women has expressed concern over the risk leaving more than 340 million women and girls in abject poverty by 2030, and an alarming 4 per cent could grapple with extreme food insecurity by that year, Odisha Government’s Flagship Program ‘Mission Shakti’ will be able to take care of the vulnerable women to an great extent.
This has been opined by Leading Financial Analyst, Rajib Sekhar Sahoo, who has studied Mission Shakti Program implementation in the State of Odisha and its positive economic impact on women.
The UN Women report forecasts that by 2030, 8 per cent of the global female population (approximately 342 million women and girls) will continue to live on less than USD 2.15 a day. Only 42 per cent of countries have sex-disaggregated poverty data readily available, impeding targeted interventions.
Shri Sahoo said that Odisha Government has visualized this scenario much earlier i.e in 2001 and planned Mission Shakti in a big way to improve both social and economic standing of women and it has resulted in more than 70 Lakh women in 6 Lakh WSHGs.
As such helping women to achieve economic independence by enabling them to have independent employment and income has been accorded the highest priority of the State Government, said Shri Sahoo, who has in-depth knowledge on State Economy.
While UN Women has suggested a dire need for enhanced financial backing and yearly dedicated budget to gender equality has been suggested, Odisha Government has been implementing ‘Gender Budgeting’ long ago and it has helped the women folk a lot, said the Ace Financial Analyst.
Department of Mission Shakti and Department of Finance has been jointly pursuing the Bankers to extend more and more credit facilities to the SHGs, said Shri Sahoo, adding this has resulted in extension of Credit facility to SHG to an extent of Rs.3.78 Lakh Per SHG.
After State Government’s intervention credit limit to Self Help Group has increased and now it stands at Rs.3.78 Lakh per SHG, which was only Rs.1.7 Lakh in 2021.
State Administration harped on more credit extension for the SHGs and Bankers have improved it from Rs.1.7 Lakh to Rs.2 Lakh, then to Rs.2.7 Lakh and now Rs.3.78 Lakh, thanks to overdrive of Principal Secretary Finance, Vishal Dev and Secretary Mission Shakti, Sujata R Karthikeyan, pointed out Ace Economic Observer, Shri Sahoo.
