Governor Droupadi Murmu has said that empowerment of rural women through digital literacy and entrepreneurship was only way forward for true development of the State. Speaking after felicitating lakhpati women farmers and others in a programme organised by Tata Trusts and cInI, she said here on Thursday that Jharkhand was fortunate enough to have social service organisations like Tata Trusts who had been working for women empowerment in State since decades.
“This fertile land of Jharkhand can produce even gold in form of tomato, muskmelon, watermelon or paddy. Village populace has since decades wandered here and there for its bread and butter, only due to lack of knowledge and technical know-how. Now Government is also serious and we have social service organisations like Tata Trusts who have been working relentlessly to turn local populace riche and prosperous. I urge women present here and anywhere in the State to stand up, get motivated, take maximum benefit from programmes run around them and grow,” said Murmu.
Tata Trusts on Thursday announced that their flagship - Central India Initiative has impacted the lives of 1,01,000 tribal households in the central Indian tribal belt, home to 65 per cent of India’s tribal population.
To earmark this milestone, Tata Trusts through its associate organization Collectives for Integrated livelihood Initiatives (CInI) hosted URJA – Shaping the dreams, Instilling the passion in tribal women & children’ - an event to acknowledge the indomitable spirit of the women and students who are part of the Mission 2020 programme of CInI. Murmu also interacted with select ‘lakhpati didis’, tribal students, learning assistants, hockey trainers, internet saathis and community leaders to understand their stories and journey under Mission 2020 – lakhpatiKisan: Smart Villages and expressed her willingness to visit the field areas where CInI has been working. Principal Secretary to the Governor SK Satpathi, Tata Trusts Secretary and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) BS Taraporwala, cInI Executive Director Ganesh Neelam and other officials were present apart from hundreds of women farmers from Khunti.
Taraporevala said on the occasion that the Trust shared common goal with the Government of India in ensuring the tribal communities have equitable opportunities to social products and services that can lead to empowerment. “The tribal population, especially in the central India region, is integral to the spirit of India. Through this programme, Tata Trusts is committed to bringing digital technologies and innovative solutions to support, engage, and uplift them out of poverty for a better tomorrow,” said Taraporewala.
The ambitious Mission 2020 – lakhpatiKisan: Smart Villages programme is currently underway with one lakh households in four states of Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Within the five-year (April 2015 to March 2020), Mission 2020: lakhpatiKisan – Smart Villages programme has envisaged bringing 101,000 tribal households irreversibly out of poverty with increased quality of life and life choices, developing 17 tribal blocks as regional drivers for growth across Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Odisha, enhancing the learning levels of 71,000 tribal children from government schools in Khunti district of Jharkhand and promoting safe drinking water and sanitation for about 6,000 tribal households among others.