Speaking at a national-level conference here on women issues, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday said, “My Government has always held that no household, no society, no State, no country has ever moved forward without empowering its women. At the core of our key initiatives is the effort to make girls and women financially independent and truly empowered.”
The conference was hosted by the State Commission for Women. He spoke about the Mission Shakti as one of the flagship programmes of the Odisha Government. “It encompasses in its fold 70 lakh women in all habitations across the State. Mission Shakti symbolises the transformation that is happening across the State - helping women emerge as decision makers and torch bearers of a new inclusive Odisha,” he told.
Patnaik also talked about the representation of women issue and how Odisha has reserved 50% seats for women in panchayats. “In the recently concluded local body elections, more than 55 per cent women have got elected,” he told. In his party, he told 21 out of 30 district presidents are women. In a first by any political party, the BJD had reserved one-third seats for women in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he said.
“Our Mamata scheme empowers pregnant women by assuring them financial support at a vulnerable time. BSKY - our health assurance scheme has Rs 10-lakh coverage for women. Our Sudakshya scheme seeks to provide quality technical education to girls. Our land right documents are issued in the name of women. To ensure uninterrupted education we have nearly three lakh girls in our hostels,” he told.