Odisha Hosts State-Level Workshop to Promote Bamboo-Based Livelihoods for ‘Lakhpati Didis’

Bhubaneswar: In a significant step towards aligning women-led enterprises with regenerative and climate-smart economic models, the Odisha Livelihoods Mission (OLM) under the Department of Mission Shakti organized a two-day state-level workshop on “Bamboo and Thriving Demand: Regenerative Livelihoods for Lakhpati Didis.” The event, held on April 22 and 23, 2025 at Mission Shakti Bhawan, Bhubaneswar, brought together key stakeholders to explore the vast potential of bamboo as a sustainable resource to empower Self Help Group (SHG) women across the state.

Gracing the inaugural session, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to enabling environmentally sustainable, women-led enterprises. She launched several key publications during the session, including a flipbook, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), and a booklet on bamboo plantation practices for grassroots implementation.

“Bamboo is now synonymous with women entrepreneurship,” said the Deputy Chief Minister. “These regenerative livelihood models are not just raising rural incomes, but are also making our communities climate-resilient. The government is committed to expanding these models through support for credit, training, and market linkages.”

The Deputy CM also congratulated SHG leaders, Community Resource Persons (CRPs), OLM officials, and field workers for Odisha’s recognition as the top-performing state under the Lakhpati Didi initiative, a national program aimed at increasing the income of rural women.

The workshop drew participation from senior officials of OLM, domain experts, master trainers, and representatives from national partners like the Industree Foundation. Participants engaged in extensive discussions and hands-on sessions across various themes.

A major highlight of the event was the unveiling of the Bamboo Sub-Sector Initiative, which aims to integrate 1,00,000 smallholder women farmers into bamboo-based value chains over the next four years, starting with 5,000 farmers in districts like Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, and Sundargarh. The initiative focuses on building climate-resilient livelihoods, particularly in tribal and forest-fringe communities, by institutionalizing bamboo as a core economic activity within SHG and Producer Group (PG) networks.

The workshop saw enthusiastic participation from District Programme Managers (DPMs), District Project Coordinators (DPCs), livelihood experts, and cluster-level trainers from across all districts, signaling strong grassroots engagement and a shared commitment to inclusive rural prosperity.