Cuttack: As the number of petitions challenging the new guidelines issued by the state government for restructuring of Mission Shakti rose to 40, the Orissa High Court is slated to hear the matter on July 4.
The legal challenge first came after the Mission Shakti department issued new restructuring guidelines to district collectors on January 22, and set a four-month deadline for implementation.
The High Court partially halted the restructuring process on April 17 by issuing a stay order on two provisions — clauses 5.10 and 5.11 — in the new guidelines after a Mission Shakti federation from Keonjhar district filed a petition alleging that the two provisions were ‘arbitrary and illegal’.
While hearing the matter on Thursday, the HC found that 39 more Mission Shakti federations from different districts had filed petitions seeking intervention against the two provisions. Accordingly, the bench of Justice Sashikanta Mishra scheduled the petitions for analogous hearing on July 4 and extended the stay order on the two provisions till then.
The court also directed the state government to file respective counter affidavits to the petitions by then. Notably, Clause 5.10 states that “no member can be an office-bearer (OB) for two consecutive terms”. As per Clause 5.11, “in any executive committee (EC) at any community institution level (CLF, GPLF, BLF and DLF), only one member from a family shall be eligible to become the member of EC. Other family members, members of extended families or close relatives of such family shall not be eligible to become EC members of the same community institution”.
The outcome of the petitions assume significance as it involves the interest of 12 lakh women working in self-help groups (SHGs), President of Nikhila Odisha Jeebika Mission EC Sangha, Jayanta Das, was quoted by TOI as saying.
Mission Shakti serves rural women through SHGs across the state, focusing on microfinance, livelihood generation and community welfare activities.
Responding to the first petition, the state government in a counter affidavit placed before the court on Thursday claimed that the planned Mission Shakti restructuring process would lead to 1.24 million new office-bearers at the SHG level and 1.15 million executive committee members at the CLF level assuming leadership positions.
More than 3.5 million women members across various institutional levels will get the opportunity to hold leadership roles in SHGs and their federations, the guidelines stated.