Cabinet Approves Outsourcing Of Govt Services To Women SHGs

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet on Wednesday resolved to outsource government services and procurement worth Rs 1000 crore from 10 departments to the women self-help groups (SHGs) to enable them to generate long-term and sustainable income sources.

Of the 10 departments, the women SHGs will avail the service of supplying pre-school uniform to the anganwadi centres from the Women and Child Development and the Mission Shakti departments, PDS retailing and paddy procurement paddy procurement from the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department, seed growers and setting up of commercial and agriculture enterprises from the Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment department, mid-day meal from the School and Mass Education department, electricity and meter billing and reading from the Energy department, nursery raising and value addition of forest produce from the Forest and Environment department, provisions of urban services from the Housing and Urban Development department, leasing of gram panchayat tanks at concessional rate for fish farming from the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development department, supply of hospital diet and supply of mosquito nets from the Health and Family Welfare department and routine maintenance of rural roads from the Rural Development department.

This will be followed by the MoUs with the departments concerned, policy relaxations wherever necessary, continuous capacity building and robust monitoring.

The initiative will result in deepening the engagement of the women SHGs in government programmes, ensure last mile delivery services while adding sustainable sources of income to lakhs of women SHGs.