Odisha Hosts Statewide Workshop to Strengthen Lakhpati Didi Initiative

Bhubaneswar: In a major push towards women’s economic empowerment, district-level workshops on the Lakhpati Didi Initiative were conducted across Odisha today under the direction of Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida. The workshops aimed to intensify livelihood activities through convergence and enhance stakeholder awareness about their roles and responsibilities in the initiative.

With an impressive turnout of 4,000 participants, the event saw the active involvement of steering committee members, community support staff, successful Lakhpati Didis, community influencers, and officials from various line departments.

In a video message, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida addressed the participants, emphasizing the government’s commitment to expanding the Lakhpati Didi Initiative. She announced the launch of the Lakhpati Didi Sahayika Yojana, under which Community Support Staff (CSS) will play a crucial role in identifying and supporting aspiring Lakhpati Didis.

“As the Community Support Staff (CSS) are key stakeholders in driving the Lakhpati Didi Initiative at the household level, the government is prioritizing capacity building and skill enhancement to increase their effectiveness. This will help in expanding the initiative and ensuring its success across the state,” Parida stated.

Odisha has already witnessed the creation of over 8 lakh Lakhpati Didis, with 1.66 lakh women emerging from aspirational and tribal districts. To accelerate this growth, the government is conducting onsite training for Potential Lakhpati Didis (PLDs) and implementing Business Development Plans (BDPs).

So far, a total of 16.44 lakh PLDs have been trained, and 11 lakh BDPs have been formulated to help women enhance their earnings and achieve financial independence during 2024-25.

To ensure the smooth execution of the initiative, the state government has established steering committees at both the state and district levels. Additionally, to provide hands-on support and mobilization efforts, over 22,000 Cluster Resource Persons (CRPs) have undergone training to assist in the creation of more Lakhpati Didis.