Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is set to distribute smartphones to about 46,000 community resource persons (CRPs) working under the Mission Shakti Department.
Announcing this on Monday, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said the government will also provide uniforms and identity cards to all the community support staff of Mission Shakti from April 1, coinciding with Utkal Divas.
The move addresses a long-pending demand of the community-support staff and aims to strengthen grassroots implementation of women-centric programmes across the state, said Parida, who also holds the Mission Shakti portfolio.
Speaking at the interest subvention programme for Self-Help Groups (SHGs) held at Mission Shakti Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, she the sarees to be given to Mission Shakti women will showcase the rich Odia identity and cultural heritage.
Reaffirming the state government’s commitment to women empowerment, Parida said the interest subvention scheme on bank loans has played a key role in strengthening the economic condition of women and mothers. The scheme has helped reinforce SHGs, expand market opportunities and encourage women entrepreneurship.
She said after the formation of the present government, the interest subvention programme for SHGs has been fast-tracked. In three phases, Rs 318.30 crore has already been disbursed to 5,44,493 groups. Additionally, Rs 197.66 crore has been refunded to 2,80,586 Self-Help Groups.
To further ease the financial burden on SHGs, the Odisha government has enhanced the bank loan limit and reduced the annual interest rate to zero percent for loans up to Rs 10 lakh.
