country Representative of UN Women Susan Jane Ferguson on Tuesday met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here and discussed on a range of issues concerning women empowerment in the State.
Patnaik said his Government has an objective to ensure that at least one-third of the graduates from technical educations would be girls as women’s employment in industries is a priority of the Government. He cited the example of schemes like Sudakshya which has helped increase enrolment of girls in ITIs from 6per cent five years ago to 18per cent. The CM sought the support of the Second Chance Education Programme of UN Women, which, in collaboration with the State Government, can help women who have not been able to complete their education. They can be helped with re-skilling, up-skilling support to make them employable, he said.
Ferguson appreciated the effective role played by the Mission Shakti in empowering Odisha women. She also appreciated the pace of poverty reduction in the State.