Odisha Gears Up for ‘Subhadra Shakti Samavesh’ to Boost Women’s Empowerment Across Villages

Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the statewide rollout of the ‘Subhadra Shakti Samavesh’ programme, Deputy Chief Minister Smt. Pravati Parida on Tuesday reviewed preparations with field-level officials from all districts and directed them to ensure smooth and effective implementation of the initiative across Odisha.

The review meeting was conducted virtually from Mission Shakti Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on the concluding day of the Raja festival.

Scheduled to be held from June 21 to June 30, the ‘Subhadra Shakti Samavesh’ programme will be organised across all Gram Panchayats in the state with a focus on expanding awareness around women’s empowerment, livelihood generation and economic inclusion.

The initiative is expected to engage Self-Help Group (SHG) members at the grassroots level and promote awareness on government welfare schemes, financial literacy, skill development opportunities, access to markets and entrepreneurship. The programme will also encourage women to progress towards becoming ‘Lakhpati Didis’ and ‘Mahalakhpati Didis’.

During the review, the Deputy Chief Minister instructed district officials to complete all logistical and operational arrangements in advance to ensure broad participation and successful execution of the campaign.

Later in the day, Parida also chaired an interaction programme with Community Support Staff (CSS) of Mission Shakti at the conference hall of Mission Shakti Bhawan. More than 300 Community Support Staff members representing all 30 districts participated in the programme.

Extending Raja festival greetings, the Deputy Chief Minister acknowledged the role of Community Support Staff in strengthening Mission Shakti’s outreach and implementation at the grassroots level. She noted that their commitment and coordinated efforts have contributed significantly to the successful delivery of government programmes across communities.

Appreciating their contribution, she said Community Support Staff act as the face of the department at the local level and credited their organised work culture for helping Odisha achieve recognition for effective programme implementation.

The interaction session also reviewed ongoing grassroots initiatives and discussed measures to further strengthen Mission Shakti programmes and expand their impact across the state in the coming months.