Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced that six lakh women Self Help Groups (SHGs) would be provided smartphones free of cost under the Mission Shakti programme.
He said Mission Shakti, which was started as a project in 2001, has transformed into a movement with 70 lakh women, six lakh groups, Rs 5,000 crore savings and Rs 2,000 crore annual bank exposure.
“My dream is to see that every woman has access to knowledge economy. As a first step, my government will digitally empower all the six lakh Mission Shakti groups with a smartphone,” said the Chief Minister at
the conclave.
He also urged the bankers to meet the credit requirements of the Mission Shakti groups in a professional manner.
“Our women have come a long way and the next ceiling to be broken is the digital one. My government is aware that digital empowerment will further accelerate the socio-political and economic empowerment of women,” said Naveen.
He said there is no habitation in the state
without a Mission Shakti group.
without a Mission Shakti group.
“Almost every second household has a member in Mission Shakti. We have had the highest drop in the maternal mortality rate. Our infant mortality rate is better than the national average. Our institutional delivery is a record 90 per cent,” he said.
