Naveen Stresses Women’s Representation In Democratic Institutions

Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday said the Odisha government stresses representation of women in democratic institutions as it plays a major role in their empowerment.

Speaking at two-day national-level conference, organised by the Odisha State Women’s Commission in Bhubaneswar on Friday, Naveen said the representation of women in institutions from the grassroots panchayats to the Assembly and Parliament holds importance for the government.

“Odisha has reserved 50% seats for women in panchayats. In the recently concluded local body elections, more than 55% women were elected, while 21 out of 30 district presidents are women. In a first by any political party, BJD reserved one third seats for women in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

“My government has always held that no household, no society, no state, no country has ever moved forward without empowering its women. At the core of our key initiatives is the effort to make girls and women financially independent and truly empowered,” the chief minister said.

Stating that the government’s Mamata scheme empowers pregnant women by assuring them financial support, Naveen said health assurance scheme BSKY has a 10 lakh coverage for women. Similarly, Sudakshya scheme provides quality technical education to girls while land right documents are issued in the name of women.

“Mission Shakti is one of our flagship programmes. It encompasses 70 lakh women in all habitations across the state. It is helping women emerge as decision makers and torch bearers of a new inclusive Odisha,” he said.